The Family of Love (play)

The Family of Love is an early Jacobean stage play, first published in 1608. The play is a satire on the Familia Caritatis or "Family of Love," the religious sect founded by Henry Nicholis in the 16th century.

The play's date is uncertain; it is most commonly assigned to 1602–7. The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on 12 Oct, 1607, as a play acted by the King's Revels Children, a company of boy actors founded around that time. It was published in quarto in 1608 by the bookseller John Helmes, with printing by Richard Braddock.

Authorship Though the play was printed anonymously, many scholars have attributed it to Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker. The play's authorship is complex; one scholar, Gerald J. Eberle, argued that the comedy displays "several strata of composition," and is "a revision by Dekker and Middleton of an early play written by Middleton and Dekker."Logan and Smith, p. 35. David Lake cites evidence for Middleton and also Dekker, though he suggests a third hand, that of Lording Barry.Lake, pp. 91–108. More recent scholarship suggests that Middleton had no hand in the play and that it was probably penned by Lording Barry.Taylor, et al., pp. 213–41. A recent edition of the collected works of Thomas Middleton omits the play, naming Lording Barry as the author.Taylor, G., & Lavagnino, J., p. 19. In 2008, Charles Cathcart argued that the play was in part the work of John Marston.Cathcart, C.

The sect Nicholas's sect was well-known and controversial in England at the time: they unsuccessfully petitioned King James I for tolerance in 1604, and were the subject of many sermons and pamphlets, most of them hostile, as a result. References to the sect recur in the stage plays of the era – in George Chapman's Sir Giles Goosecap, John Marston's The Dutch Courtesan, Middleton's A Mad World, My Masters, and in Every Woman in Her Humour (perhaps by Lewis Machin).Chambers, Vol. 3, p. 441.

The play satirises the sect's reputation for sexual lasciviousness, and treats the Familists as hypocrites, as Puritan sects are usually treated by Jacobean satirists (as in Middleton's play The Puritan from the same era). The playwrights seemed to have depended on the popular images of the sect as expressed in sermons and chapbooks, without actually knowing much, or caring to know much, about the real group.Chakravorty, p. 28.

Summary The play presents a cheerfully amoral world in which everyone is a manipulator – the typical world of Middleton's early city comedies. The protagonist, Gerardine, is in love with Maria, but her uncle and guardian, Glister the physician,A glister was an enema tube. opposes the match because the spendthrift Gerardine's estates are mortgaged. Gerardine pretends to depart for a long ocean voyage; Glister has no problem when Gerardine makes Maria the heir to his property. When a trunk containing that property is delivered to the sequestered Maria, it contains Gerardine himself. Gerardine fools Glister's wife into thinking that Maria is pregnant with Glister's child; Glister is tried in a prank trial and is blackmailed into allowing Gerardine's and Maria's marriage and paying a hefty dowry.

The anti-Familist satire is strongest in the play's subplots. Glister is in fact cheating on his wife – not with Maria but with the Familist wife of Purge the apothecary. Purge is a "wittol" or complaisant cuckold, though he is distressed to learn that Mrs. Purge is having even more affairs with other sect members. On a third level, the dim-witted gallants Gudgeon and Lipsalve plot to seduce Maria, Mrs. Purge, and Mrs. Glister too, but completely without success. Both Lipsalve and Gudgeon have balcony wooing scenes with Maria, parodying the famous scene in Romeo and Juliet. Gudgeon and Lipsalve separately approach Glister for a potion for seducing Mrs. Purge; Glister fools them into whipping each other. At the play's end, Gerardine and Maria are together, and everyone else has been taught his or her lesson.

Characters

-GLISTER, a doctor

-(Peter) PURGE, a jealous apothecary

-DRYFAT, a merchant, a convert to the Family

-GERARDINE, Maria's lover; cousin to Mrs. Purge

-(Laurence) LIPSALVE and (Gregory) GUDGEON, two gallants who only pursue city lechery

-CLUB, an apprentice

-VIAL, a servant to Glister

-SHRIMP and PERIWINKLE, pages to the gallants

-MRS GLISTER

-MRS (Rebecca) PURGE, an Elder in the Family

-MARIA, niece to Glister

-SERVANTS

Synopsis Act 1, Scene 1: A gallery in Glister's house Glister and his wife quarrel with their niece and ward, Maria, over her love for Gerardine. Glister opposes the match because the spendthrift Gerardine has mortgaged his entire estate. Maria argues that it is blasphemous to go against her heart's true desire. Glister dismisses his niece's "love" as "an idle fantasy." He says that he will keep Maria sequestered in her room and banish Gerardine from his property to keep the young lovers apart. Glister's servant, Vial, enters to announce that Master Purge, an apothecary, has invited the Glisters to a farewell feast for Gerardine, Mrs. Purge's cousin. Gerardine is going off to sea. During the dinner, his "sea will"—a will made by sailors prior to their departure—will be read.

Act 1, Scene 2: A street before Glister's house; just below Maria's bedroom window Lipsalve and Gudgeon warn Gerardine against taking a wife. To them, a wife is the most disagreeable, expensive burden a man could ever want. They argue that life as a bachelor is infinitely preferable to life as a husband. The lovestruck Gerardine rejects their arguments entirely. Maria enters at her window. The gallants stand under her window so they can hear her speak. Maria laments her loss of liberty and wishes to be reunited with Gerardine. Gerardine calls out to Maria to comfort her. He pledges his love to her and tells her that he is going off to sea. Maria promises to remain faithful to Gerardine until he returns. She exits. Gerardine praises Maria's perfection. Lipsalve and Gudgeon warn him not to be fooled by the "outward appearances" of women, which are often at odds with their "inward desires." Gerardine invites the gallants to attend his farewell feast at Purge's home that evening. Gudgeon notes that Purge's wife is a member of "The Family of Love," and looks forward to seeing her at the feast.

Act 1, Scene 3: A room in Purge's house The servant Club tells Mrs. Purge that Glister, his wife, Gerardine, Dryfat, Lipsalve and Gudgeon will all attend the farewell feast that evening. Mrs. Purge notes that she does not care very much for phony, dimwitted gallants such as Lipsalve and Gudgeon. In a short speech, Club notes that modern gallants do so much swearing that they have almost run out of things to swear by. Purge enters. Club exits. Mrs. Purge tells her husband that she is not feeling well and asks him to have Glister (a doctor) visit her in the morning. Purge replies that he is happy to do anything his wife might require of him. He tells her that he has read Gerardine's sea-will, and although Mrs. Purge has been bequeathed a few tokens, the majority of Gerardine's estate has been left to Maria. Glister, Mrs. Glister and Dryfat enter. Glister says that he is happy Gerardine is going off to sea. Purge informs him of the details of Gerardine's will and notes that all of the materials bequeathed to Maria have been locked in a trunk and will be delivered to Glister's home on the following day. Lipsalve, Gudgeon and Gerardine enter. Gerardine reports that the trio have just come from the theatre, where they saw "Sampson" (a now-lost play that was performed by a boy's company in 1602). Mrs. Purge says that it is a pity the gallants waste their time at the theatre, a pastime she disapproves of. Lipsalve reads Gerardine's sea-will. As Purge hinted, the vast majority of Gerardine's estate has been bequeathed to Maria. A standing cup and close-stool (both phallic-shaped objects) have been bequeathed to Mrs. Purge. As the witnesses gather to sign the will, Gerardine pulls Mrs. Glister aside and warns her to keep an eye on her "loose" husband Glister, who may have lusty designs on Maria. Everyone exits to enjoy the feast.

Act 2, Scene 1: A room in Purge's house It is morning, and Purge is preparing to go to work. He says that his wife usually attends meetings of the Family in the mornings, but she is—supposedly—sick on this particular morning, and must be "administered to" by Doctor Glister. Purge goes on to reveal himself to be a "wittol," or complacent cuckold. He is fully aware that Glister is having an affair with his wife, but he does not mind at all. Indeed, he seems pleased that another man would volunteer to take over the job of keeping his wife happy.

Act 2, Scene 2: A street Glister is in a good mood because Gerardine has gone off to sea. He is happy that Gerardine's estate has been bequeathed to Maria.

Act 2, Scene 3: Another street Gudgeon and Lipsalve greet each other with overblown, phony-sounding compliments. Their pages, Periwinkle and Shrimp, mock them behind their backs. The gallants discuss Mrs. Purge, whom they are both trying to sleep with—so far unsuccessfully. Speaking aside, Gudgeon plans to procure a love potion from Glister so he can seduce Mrs. Purge before Lipsalve gets to her. Gudgeon and Periwinkle exit. Lipsalve—who seems to be thinking along exactly the same lines as Gudgeon—also plans to procure a love potion from Glister.

Act 2, Scene 4: A room in Glister's house Mrs. Glister says that Maria's love is foolish. Maria contends that her love is honourable and pure. Club enters with Gerardine's trunk and tells Mrs. Glister that Gerardine has left the city. Mrs. Glister asks if Mrs. Purge has gone to a Familist meeting. Club says she has. Mrs. Purge presses him to describe the Familists. Purge tells her that the members of the Family truly "love their neighbors better than themselves"—a sly joke hinting at the Familists' sexual promiscuity. Glister enters and thanks Club for bringing the trunk. Club exits. Lipsalve enters and asks Glister for a potion that will help him seduce Mrs. Purge. Glister tells him that he can sell him such a potion, but it will be expensive, and possibly dangerous. There is a knock at the door. Lipsalve is ushered into another room. Gudgeon enters. Like Lipsalve, he asks Glister for a potion that will help him seduce Mrs. Purge. Speaking aside, Glister wonders why Gudgeon and Lipsalve would come to him on the same day with the same request. He concludes that they must be up to no good and resolves to teach them a lesson. After sending his servant to fetch two whips, he tells Gudgeon that he should go to Lipsalve's chamber between the hours of four and five on the following day. There, he will find Mrs. Purge (who will be transported there by magic) and a spirit who will appear in Lipsalve's form. Glister gives Gudgeon a whip and tells him that he will be able to have his way with Mrs. Purge after he has given the "spirit Lipsalve" a sound beating. Gudgeon agrees to follow Glister's directions and exits. Glister laughs over his scheme and says he will give Lipsalve the same directions he gave Gudgeon—thereby tricking into whipping each other. Glister exits. Maria enters. Standing over the trunk, she laments Gerardine's absence and worries that their love will be destroyed by the passage of time. The trunk opens and Gerardine jumps out. Maria is shocked to see him. He explains that the whole pretense of going to sea was a part of a grand scheme to bring them together.

Act 3, Scene 1: Maria's room Gerardine tries to convince Maria to have sex with him. But before he can make any progress, Lipsalve enters beneath Maria's balcony, accompanied by his page, Shrimp. Lipsalve is disguised as Gerardine. He tries to woo Maria. Maria leads him on and taunts him for a while—to Gerardine's great amusement. Glister enters and scares Lipsalve away. Gerardine and Maria plan to have sex later on.