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Act 3, Scene 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Two Noble Kinsmen, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Irrationality
Fate, Fortune, and Divine Providence
Chivalry, Honor, and Pride
Friendship
Gender and Power
Summary
Analysis
In another part of the forest, the Schoolmaster berates six Countrymen for their inability to follow his directions. Yet again, he reviews the plan for their performance: the Countrymen will hide in the trees. Theseus will appear and chat with the Schoolmaster about intellectual subjects. When Theseus orders the Schoolmaster to begin his performance, the Schoolmaster will signal to the Countrymen, who will emerge from the trees and begin their dance.
The Schoolmaster is annoyed with the Countrymen because he doesn’t want them to mess up the performance when Theseus arrives, which would wound his pride. Now that this subplot has fulfilled its function in placing Arcite in a position to grow closer to Emilia, its primary purpose is to provide comedic relief.
Themes
Literary Devices
The Schoolmaster tries to discern which of his players are present and which have yet to arrive. The Taborer arrives, followed by five Wenches and the Bavian. One of the Countrymen tells the Schoolmaster that the rest of the musicians have scattered about the woods, per the Schoolmaster’s instructions. However, the last woman, Cecily, is nowhere to be found. The men curse Cecily, and the Schoolmaster laments his failed performance.
A taborer is a musician who plays the drum, or “tabor.” A Bavian is an antiquated term for baboon and refers to one of the dancer’s costumes. The role of this dancer would have been to dance lewdly and provide comic relief. The Schoolmaster is anxious about embarrassing himself in front of the nobility if his performance fails; the general chaos of this scene and the absent performers suggests that the Schoolmaster does have some cause for concern.
Themes
Suddenly, the Jailer’s Daughter appears, singing a nonsensical song about warships, fools, and an owlet. The Countrymen suspect that the Jailer’s Daughter is mad but decide they can probably use her as their final dancer. When the Schoolmaster approaches her, she offers to tell his fortune before spouting nonsense about how eating white bread will make his teeth bleed. These ramblings confirm the Jailer’s Daughter’s insanity, but the Schoolmaster decides he can use her in his performance anyway and orders the men to guide her to her starting position in the trees. The Schoolmaster hears a horn call in the distance and prepares for Theseus’s approach.
Even amid the chaotic dance rehearsal, the Jailer’s Daughter appears mad, which speaks to her health’s worsening condition. Her appearance right when the performers are short one female dancer and right before Theseus arrives is almost too fortuitous to be a coincidence. One might interpret this lucky situation as a comical whim of the gods, who have placed her exactly where she needs to be in order to save the Schoolmaster's performance.
Themes
Theseus, Pirithous, Hippolyta, and Emilia enter. Theseus orders the Schoolmaster to proceed, and the Schoolmaster gives a lengthy introduction about the morris dance. He pardons the unpolished characteristics of the play that are unfit for Theseus’s “noble race” to hear before introducing its cast of characters: the Lord of May and his lady, the Chambermaid and Servingmen, Host and his Wife, the traveler, the Clown, the Fool, and—finally—the Bavian.
A Morris dance is a traditional English folk dance typically performed by a group of dancers who often held implements such as sticks, bells, or handkerchiefs. The earliest mention of Morris dancing dates back to the mid-fifteenth century, when they were performed in court and in rural settings. The dance the countryfolk are performing incorporates a mummers play (a folk play performed by amateur actors) and celebrates the arrival of spring. The Schoolmaster’s comment about the performance being unfit for Theseus's “noble race” emphasizes the class disparity between Theseus and the countryfolk. In addition, one can interpret the remark as a gesture on the Schoolmaster’s part to appear humble and reverent toward Theseus and the other nobility.
Themes
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The Schoolmaster signals for his players to begin, and the Countrymen, Countrywomen, and the Jailer’s Daughter emerge from the trees and perform a morris dance. Afterward, Theseus and his party give their compliments to the Schoolmaster and Pirithous hands out money to the players. Theseus and his party return to their hunting as the Schoolmaster congratulates his players on their performance, proclaiming, “Come, we are all made. Dii deaeque omnes.”
Theseus's decision to reward the countryfolk with money demonstrates his honorable character: he shows that he's a merciful, generous, and chivalrous leader. The Schoolmaster's remark, "Dii deaeque omnes," is Latin and translates to: "All you gods and goddesses." The Schoolmaster means that Theseus's generosity has ensured their success in life, implying that Theseus has made the countryfolk as fortunate as gods and goddesses.
Themes
