In Philip Massinger’s A New Way to Pay Old Debts, the primary focuses of the play involve class conflict and a tangled marriage between Allworth and Margaret. However, one aspect of the play that I found to be very interesting is the change that occurs in Wellborn. After reading The Changeling and The Duchess of Malfi, audiences can see how powerful character change can be, but in this work Wellborn undergoes a dramatic change in class rather than character.
Based on the exchange between Wellborn and Tapwell in scene 1.1, it is apparent that Wellborn was once a noble man of great wealth. However, he has now squandered his wealth away and has been degraded to being kicked out of the bar by Tapwell, who he had previously helped. This once powerful and wealthy man is now nothing more than a dirty bum. Despite being down on his luck, Wellborn does not resort to desperation to satisfy his needs.
When Allworth stumbles upon Wellborn beating Tapwell, he stops him and eventually offers him money to help in his situation, but Wellborn will not take the money. He refuses to accept donations from a youth and claims, “I’ll eat my arms first”( 1.1.176). Lady Allworth also offers Wellborn money after he speaks to her about the righteous acts that he had done for her late husband. In response to this assistance, Wellborn simply rejects the money and demands only the respect of Lady Allworth’s servants. As the play progresses, the only individual that Wellborn accepts money from is Overreach, which he uses to pay back his creditors who were ruined due to his negligent credit. Towards the end of the play Wellborn has reestablished himself as a noble man with strong values. He is not the wealthy man that he once was, but he is no longer the poor, run down man that he was at the start of the play.
Wellborn did not have a dramatic internal change as Bosola and Beatrice did in prior plays, but his change of class prior to and throughout the play shows his determined character. He kept his morals intact and worked from the bottom to once again gain good fortunes. He was even able to gain revenge against Overreach in the process.
I also understood Wellborn to have more respect than other characters that we have read in previous plays, which I believe contributes to his dramatic change. Bosola from The Duchess of Malfi never really redeems himself, except for when the Duchess is dying in his arms and he reveals that Antonio is still alive. Beatrice in The Changeling begs for forgiveness from Anselmero, but this again is not redemption. Wellborn’s change from desolate drunk to competent victor in Overreach’s game shows how much respect he has for others. He does not take advantage of others when they are willing to help. Instead he refuses their money and chooses to only cheat the one that cheated him out of his wealth.
This is a well-titled post. I would only add that technically speaking, Wellborn isn’t noble. Lord Lovell is noble and so is Lady Allworth. Their families would have had connections, however distant, to the English monarchy; Wellborn, like the Allworths, is a gentleman. Lady Allworth’s rank does not come from her marriage, but from her birth; see the dialogue between her and Lord Lovell: “Our years,our states, our births are not unequal, / You being descended nobly and allied so” (5.1.61-63).