Rumors and Comic Truth in Beaumont and Fletcher

"'Tis past speech, she lives dishonestly"

Arethusa's virtue and reputation are subjected to ruthless gossip and conjecture in Philaster. The characters seem to take her dishonesty with her "boy" Bellario as truth based on the debauched Megra's verbal accusations, and yet they refuse to believe hereforto virtuous Arethusa's denials. In III.i.28, Cleremont declares that "'tis past speech itself, she lives dishonestly," implying that the scandal stretches beyond words into truth in imagined action. He later participates in a plot to ensure that the king beleieves the accusation based on an entirely constructed witnessed scene of debauchery. The validity of the spoken word - especially the words of women - is both vehemently adhered to and vehemently denied in different instances in the play. I wonder what we can make of the role of the verbal nature of sexual scandal, particularly in terms of the the way it upholds gender stereotypes of women as untrustworthy, yet somehow the carriers of secrets. There also seems to be an important connection between the spoken word and a perceived action - real or constructed - that must verify it.

" I told you once she was not your sister: I, and she lookt nothing like you"

In King and No King, Bessus provides much of the comic relief and is rendered ridiculous by his accidental bravery in battle and following impending swordfights. However, though he is catering to Arbaces's strange mood swing to deny his sister, Bessus is the character who acknowledges that the once-thought sister and brother are actually not related. True to form, he does not miss the opportunity to remind Arbaces of this at the end of the play when the convoluted plot is uncovered, saying " I told you once she was not your sister: I, and she lookt nothing like you." What does it say that the fool of this play has a sort of fore-knowledge that the other characters don't? The wise fool in this period is certainly not unique to this play, but I think Bessus's accidental knowledge (and, perhaps his accidental bravery?) does something that calls attention to the convoluted nature of the court in King and No King. Can we connect this notion to the tragicomedy genre in some way?