A Chaste Maid in CheapsideWritten for the adult players at the open-air Swan theatre in 1613, this master-piece of Jacobean city comedy signals its ironic nature even in the title: chaste maids, like most other goods and people in London's busiest commercial area, are likely to be fake. Money is more important than either happiness or honour; and the most coveted commodities to be bought with it are sex and social prestige. Middleton interweaves the fortunes of four families, who either seek to marry their children off as profitably as possible, to stop having any more for fear of poverty, or to acquire some in order to keep their property in the family. Most prosperous is the husband who pimps his wife to a rich knight and lets him support the household with his alimony. Like many early modern critics of London's enormous growth, this play warned: the city is a monster that lives off the money the country produces. |
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Common terms and phrases
andthe animal rationale bastard Blackfriars theatre brother bythe Cambridge Chaste Maid Cheapside child Comedy cuckold daughter Davy Dahumma death dildo E’en e’er Enter MAUDLINE Enter TOUCHWOOD JUNIOR eringoes Ex[eunt Exit Faith fool forher forsooth fromthe gentleman girl goldsmith goose GOSSIP hath heart hiswife hither honest husband i’faith i’the inthe is’t kiss knight LADY KIX Latin Lent London Look Maid in Cheapside Mark Rylance marriage married Master MAUD LINE MAUDLINE MERMAIDS Methinks MISTRESS ALLWIT MOLL mother mutton ne’er Negatur never NURSE ofthe on’t onthe PARSON Paul’s play play’s poor PORTER Pray Prithee PROMOTER PURITAN runts Scene sexual Shakespeare she’s SIR OLIVER Snaphance stultus sweet Theatre thee There’s Thomas Middleton thou Tim’s tothe TOUCHWOOD SENIOR TOUCHWOOD SENIOR Here’s TUTOR Twill WATERMEN weep WELSH GENTLEWOMAN wench WET NURSE What’s whore wife wife’s witha woman women Women Beware Women word worship YELLOWHAMMER Yellowhammer’s