The Capuchins are a particularly strict order of Catholic monks, one of several groups modeled in the Franciscan tradition (after St. Francis of Assisi). Beginning in the 16th century and gaining popularity in the early 1600s, the Capuchin monks were known for their simple brown robes and their habit of going barefoot. Given the highly religious nature of the Capuchin order, it is ironic that Lodovico and Gasparo dress as Capuchin monks in order to commit murderous crimes.
Capuchin Monks Quotes in The White Devil
The The White Devil quotes below are all either spoken by Capuchin Monks or refer to Capuchin Monks. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 5, Scene 3
Quotes
Here, the rest being departed, LODOVICO and GASPARO discover themselves.
LODOVICO:
Devil Brachiano, thou art damn’d.
[…]You that were held the famous politician,
Whose art was poison.
GASPARO:
And whose conscience, murder.
LODOVICO:
That would have broke your wife’s neck down the stairs,
Ere she was poison’d.
GASPARO:
That had your villainous sallets.
LODOVICO:
And fine embroider’d bottles, and perfumes,
Equally mortal with a winter plague.
GASPARO:
Now there ’s mercury—
LODOVICO:
And copperas----
GASPARO:
And quicksilver----
LODOVICO:
With other devilish ’pothecary stuff,
A-melting in your politic brains: dost hear? […]
And thou shalt die like a poor rogue […]
And be forgotten
Before the funeral sermon.
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Capuchin Monks Term Timeline in The White Devil
The timeline below shows where the term Capuchin Monks appears in The White Devil. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 5, Scene 1
...are holding court in Padua. An impressive young Moor named Mulinassar, accompanied by two young Capuchin monk s from Hungary, has come to visit the couple. Hortensio wonders why Mulinassar has come,...
(full context)
Act 5, Scene 2
...has ordered, acknowledging that his “will is law now.” Meanwhile, Lodovico—still in disguise as a Capuchin monk —secretly sprinkles the front part of Brachiano’s helmet (which the script calls a “beaver”) with...
(full context)
Act 5, Scene 3
Lodovico and Gasparo enter, still dressed as Capuchin monk s. Flamineo instructs them to administer the extreme unction, and they exit with Brachiano. Flamineo...
(full context)
Still dressed as Capuchin monk s, Lodovico and Gasparo pretend to give the last rites to Brachiano. But before Brachiano...
(full context)
Act 5, Scene 6
Lodovico and Gasparo enter dressed as Capuchin monk s, but they quickly show their true identities to Vittoria and Flamineo. Both Vittoria and...
(full context)
