Lost in the woods where Comus lurks
Some say no evil thing that walks by night,
In fog or fire, by lake or moorish fen,
Blue meagre hag, or stubborn unlaid ghost,
That breaks his magic chains at curfew time,
No goblin or swart faery of the mine,
Hath hurtful power o'er true virginity.
In fog or fire, by lake or moorish fen,
Blue meagre hag, or stubborn unlaid ghost,
That breaks his magic chains at curfew time,
No goblin or swart faery of the mine,
Hath hurtful power o'er true virginity.
A Mask presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: on Michelmas night, before the Rt Hon. Iohn Earl of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackly, Lord President of Wales, and one of His Maiesties most honorable privie councill (spelling is correct) is a play written by John Milton, about a woman captured by Comus, a minor god of wine and lust, and rescued by her two brothers and a beneficient spirit in disguise.
The plot is similar to Circe trying to trap Odysseus in The Odyssey, but with the genders reversed.
Full text here
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Tropes featured:
- All Myths Are True: As is common in Milton's work, the setting mixes Christianity and Classical Mythology in confused ways.
- Ambiguously Human: Comus is described as a "sorcerer," but his father was the god Bacchus and his mother was Circe, whose own status as a witch or goddess is ambiguous in Classical Mythology.
- Antagonist Title: Given by later readers rather than Milton himself. Some have noted that a Protagonist Title would have been more appropriate, given the focus on the Lady's virtue, but she remains anonymous.
- Arcadia: Borrows heavily from the pastoral genre, set in the English woods. Admittedly, it's a slighter darker take on this trope.
- Commonality Connection: A direct comparison is made between Sabrina, who was died as a virgin human, and the Lady, with the implication that this is why Sabrina will want to help her.
- Cool, Clear Water: Sabrina's actual introduction is preceded by a description of how calm and beautiful the lake she guards is, so the reader already kind of knows that she's a good person.
- Damsel in Distress: The Lady is captured by Comus and needs to be rescued by her brothers; even after they drive Comus off, she needs Sabrina to free her from imprisonment.
- Deity of Human Origin: According to legend, "Sabrina" is the goddess/nymph of the Severn, who was once a human woman murdered by her Wicked Stepmother. The play alludes to this without telling the whole story.
- Evil Sorcerer: Comus is referred to as a "sorcerer," though he might be better described as a spirit or god.
- Forced Transformation: The power, of course, of Comus's mother Circe, and of Comus himself, who enchants his victims so that they have the heads of animals.
- Healing Herb: The spirit attributes its knowledge to a shepherd boy who knows this.
- Impersonation-Exclusive Character: The Spirit takes the form of Thyrsis, a shepherd who apparently works for the siblings' family but never actually appears.
- Magic Wand: Comus has one, just like his mother, Circe. Apparently, the brothers should have grabbed the wand in order to free their sister, but the Spirit is able to find another solution.
- Nature Abhors a Virgin: Comus' argument is that the Lady's adherence to virtue, including virginity, is in defiance of Nature, who showers humanity with gifts in order to indulge in.
- No Name Given: The protagonists are simply listed as "the Lady," "Elder Brother" and "Younger Brother."
- One-Word Title: The full title is thirty-three words long, but is more commonly known by the name of the antagonist.
- Our Angels Are Different: The Spirit has been sent from the heavens to protect the siblings, though, given the odd mixture of Christian and Classical elements, he seems to have been sent by Jove rather than God. There's also a line about ''A thousand liveried angels" protecting the Lady from harm.
- Religion of Evil: Comus's crew worship Hecate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft, whom medieval Christians generally saw as a demonic figure.
- Virgin Power: Discussed at length. The younger brother is worried that their virgin sister (with the obviously implication that she might be raped), while the elder basically argues that, as long as she doesn't give in to temptation, her virginity will protect her from evil. A lot of analysis of the play is actually trying to figure out which one is right, since Comus doesn't actually harm the sister but can trap her.
- Wicked Stepmother: Sabrina's origin story is that she was fleeing from her murderous stepmother and drowned in the Severn, then was resurrected as its guardian spirit.
