Quotes from work
The Knight of the Burning Pestle

The Knight of the Burning Pestle

The Knight of the Burning Pestle is a play in five acts by Francis Beaumont, first performed at Blackfriars Theatre in 1607 and published in a quarto in 1613. It is the earliest whole parody play in English. The play is a satire on chivalric romances in general, similar to Don Quixote, and a parody of Thomas Heywood's The Four Prentices of London and Thomas Dekker's The Shoemaker's Holiday. It breaks the fourth wall from its outset.


Francis Beaumont photo

“Plot me no plots.”

The Knight of the Burning Pestle (c. 1607; published 1613), Act II, scene 5.

Francis Beaumont photo

“She's private to herself and best of knowledge
Whom she'll make so happy as to sigh for.”

The Knight of the Burning Pestle (c. 1607; published 1613), Act I, scene 1.

Francis Beaumont photo

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