The Revenge of Bussy d'Ambois by George Chapman

First produced: c. 1610; first published, 1613

Type of work: Drama

Type of plot: Tragedy

Time of plot: Sixteenth century

Locale: Paris

Principal characters

• Clermont d’Ambois, the brother of Bussy d’Ambois, a soldier of fortune recently murdered
• Baligny, Clermont’s brother-in-law
• Charlotte, Clermont’s sister
• Montsurry, Bussy’s murderer
• Tamyra, his wife
• Duc de Guise, close friend of Clermont
• Henry III, king of France
• Maillard, Baligny’s lieutenant

The Story:

Clermont d’Ambois has vowed to avenge the murder of his brother, Bussy. Although he doubts the virtue of repaying violence with violence, he has made a solemn promise to Bussy’s ghost. His sister, Charlotte, unambiguous in her feelings, is impatient for immediate revenge, and her marriage to Baligny has been made under the stipulation that he, too, pledge himself to effect the death of Montsurry, Bussy’s murderer. Tamyra, the wife of Montsurry and former mistress of Bussy, has returned to her husband, but she makes no secret of her hatred of him and her desire for his death. The design of these people is obstructed by the cowardly Montsurry, who has barricaded himself in his home.

Clermont, who insists on a fair duel and who will allow no one else to discharge his duty, has instructed Baligny to deliver his challenge. Baligny’s entrance to Montsurry’s home is accomplished with the help of a decadent nobleman, the Marquess Renel. Renel, visiting Montsurry on business, bribes the guards to admit Baligny. When Baligny enters, Montsurry is terrified and refuses to accept the proffered challenge. Baligny leaves the challenge with Tamyra, who promises to make her husband read it.

This plot is not the only one in which Baligny is involved. A treacherous man, he bases his actions on his belief that troubles for others mean blessings for himself. Wearing a different mask for every acquaintance, he is able to gain people’s confidence and thus discover their dissatisfactions and sow the seeds of further discontent. In dealing with King Henry III, he expounds the doctrine that any evil done out of loyalty to a king is justified. Such a philosophy being agreeable to King Henry, Baligny has become his trusted agent. In talking to the duc de Guise, on the other hand, Baligny expresses the belief that conspiracy is sometimes defensible.

The principal object of jealousy in the court at this time is the Guise faction. King Henry is fearful and jealous of the increasing influence of the duc de Guise, and Baligny strives to increase his distrust. Guise’s closest friend is Clermont d’Ambois, whom Guise not only admires but also endeavors to emulate. He sees in Clermont a valor equal to Bussy’s and, more important, a profound knowledge of life. Clermont’s principles of restraint, unworldliness, and stoic acceptance guide the actions of the powerful duke. Because of the close relationship between the two men, jealousy of Guise is often extended to include Clermont. Thus Baligny is able to convince King Henry of the advantage of getting rid of Clermont. He suggests that Clermont be invited to visit Cambrai, where, away from his friends at court, he can be arrested.

Baligny induces Clermont to go to Cambrai on the pretext that he will be reviewing a muster of the king’s troops. In his conversation with Clermont, Baligny attempts to weaken Clermont’s ties with Guise by criticizing the latter for his part in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. The schemer’s efforts are wasted on Clermont, who is convinced of Guise’s virtue.

While Clermont is being entertained by his sister in Cambrai, he receives an anonymous letter informing him of the betrayal and of Baligny’s complicity in it. Refusing to think evil of his sister’s husband, he dismisses the letter as false. Charlotte, who can think of little but avenging Bussy’s death, regards the message as an effort to enfeeble further Clermont’s weak will in carrying out his duty.

Maillard, Baligny’s lieutenant, has been instructed by the king to apprehend Clermont. When Maillard arrives at Charlotte’s house, ostensibly for the purpose of accompanying Clermont on a tour, Clermont asks Maillard if he is charged to arrest Clermont. Maillard’s obvious signs of guilt convince Clermont that his earlier suspicions about the journey were justified. Clermont offers to let Maillard take him peacefully, but Maillard denies that any intrigue is afoot. Although quite certain of the consequences, Clermont, with characteristic acceptance of fate, follows Maillard.

The plan is to take Clermont while he is reviewing the troops. Two soldiers disguised as lackeys are to lead him into an ambush, where several men will seize him. Clermont’s strength exceeds the estimate of his attackers, however, and the disguised soldiers succeed only in unhorsing him. On foot, he easily beats them off and drives straight through the ambush. He runs until, exhausted, he falls to the ground and is captured.

Believing that outer circumstances have no power to touch the inner man without his will, Clermont accepts his capture with little concern. His only worry is that he will be unable to keep an appointment with his mistress, the countess of Cambrai, and his one request is that a message be sent to her. Other people, however, do not accept his internment with so much complacency. Upon receiving his message, the countess sends him jewels that she hopes he can use to effect his release and vows that she will cry until her eyes pour out. When the duc de Guise hears the news, he rushes to King Henry and speaks so passionately and eloquently of Clermont’s virtues that the weak-willed king, unable to answer Guise, orders that Clermont be released.

After his release, Clermont goes to the home of the duc de Guise. There he again meets Bussy’s ghost, who chides him for not yet having exacted revenge on Montsurry. Guise, who was implicated in Bussy’s murder, feels that the ghost should thunder threats against him, but Clermont asserts that the duke has fully compensated for his error. Guise is also worried about a plot against him; he believes that his efforts to propagate the Catholic cause are endangered. Clermont wants him to retire from his plans, but Guise regards withdrawal as an abandonment of France.

A plot is indeed threatening the duc de Guise; King Henry, with Baligny’s encouragement, has ordered the duke’s murder. The king, in addition to his long-standing jealousy of Guise, was angered when Guise forced his hand regarding Clermont. As the duke is on his way to visit the king, Henry’s men step from behind a wall and kill him.

With the assistance of Tamyra, Clermont gains access to Montsurry’s house. There he finds Charlotte, disguised as a man. She had planned to kill Montsurry herself but has been stopped by the ghost. When Clermont draws his sword, Montsurry at first refuses to defend himself; he does so only after Clermont offers to let Tamyra stab him. Although Montsurry at last gains sufficient courage to conduct himself courageously in the duel, Clermont succeeds in killing him.

Soon after Clermont has fulfilled his duty to his brother, he receives the news that the duc de Guise has been killed by the king’s men. The death of his friend and patron is a severe blow to Clermont, whose life has been centered on his relationship with the powerful duke. Believing that his purpose in this world is destroyed, Clermont takes his own life.

Bibliography

Bertheau, Gilles. “George Chapman’s French Tragedies: Or, Machiavelli Beyond the Mirror.” In Representing France and the French in Early Modern English Drama, edited by Jean-Christophe Mayer. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 2008. Essay on Chapman’s French tragedies is part of a collection that examines the role and significance of France in English Renaissance drama.

Bowers, Fredson. “The School of Kyd.” In Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy, 1587-1642. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1940. Maintains that Chapman reverses the traditional pattern of the revenge tragedy in his sequel to Bussy d’Ambois. Explains how Chapman introduces the concept of virtue into the character of the revenger and makes him a respectable gentleman.

Braunmuller, A. R., and Michael Hattaway, eds. The Cambridge Companion to English Renaissance Drama. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Collection of essays examines many aspects of the English Renaissance drama. Includes discussion of Chapman’s plays.

MacLure, Millar. George Chapman: A Critical Study. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1966. Focuses on Chapman’s development of his tragic hero and discusses the playwright’s abilities as a dramaturge. Briefly notes historical sources for the plot of The Revenge of Bussy d’Ambois.

Rees, Ennis. The Tragedies of George Chapman: Renaissance Ethics in Action. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1954. Examines the political and ethical dimensions of Chapman’s dramatic works. Highlights Chapman’s careful depiction of contrasting qualities between Bussy and Clermont.

Spivack, Charlotte. George Chapman. New York: Twayne, 1967. Relates The Revenge of Bussy d’Ambois to revenge tragedies popular during the period. Comments on Chapman’s handling of language and dramatic conventions.

Wieler, John William. George Chapman: The Effect of Stoicism on His Tragedies. New York: King’s Crown Press, 1949. Explains how the drama reveals Chapman’s interest in Stoicism and how that interest caused the playwright to change his attitude toward the character of Clermont, whom he eventually repudiates.