Summary
Mercury enters with Crites, and informs Crites that the gods wish to correct the raucous behavior of the courtiers. Crites expresses concern that he will be punished by the courtiers because he is detested by them all, but Mercury assures him that his noble nature will triumph over any ridicule he may receive.
Amorphus appeals to the lords and ladies to consider Asotus a gallant and to allow him to participate in the competition among the courtiers. While they are hesitant at first, the other courtiers agree to Asotus's risen status. Meanwhile, Crites and Mercury observe and criticize the courtiers from afar. The competition is held in four stages, and Asotus and Amorphus are beaten.
At the end of the play, two symbolic masques are performed for the lords and ladies, and they are presided over by Cynthia herself. At the end of the second masque, Cynthia instructs the dancers to unmask, thereby revealing that the vices have been masquerading as virtues. Cynthia orders them to bathe in the spring of Mount Helicon as penance.
Analysis
As the play comes to a conclusion, Jonson includes a final moral judgment of the courtiers and, by extension, those in Elizabeth I's court. When Crites expresses his concern to Mercury that he will be ridiculed by all the other courtiers, Mercury assures him that a noble nature will always outlast and triumph over self-interest and corruption. By placing these instructive moral judgments in the mouth of Mercury, a god, Jonson ascribes a divine importance to Elizabeth I's court while also suggesting that the court should be held to a higher moral standard that the judgements of those whose pride and reputation are on the line. Later, when Mercury and Cupid observe the competition of the courtiers from afar and offer their commentary, their distance and judgment suggest that under the Protestant reign of Elizabeth I, she and her own courtiers will likewise be assessed by their own god.
The play ends on a note of praise for Elizabeth I, as Cynthia – an allegory for Elizabeth herself – finally appears and symbolically purges the court of vice. Masques like the ones performed in the play were often allegorical, representing the virtues and vices at war with another. By unmasking the disguised "vices" and sending them to be purified, Cynthia represents both a cleansing and benevolent power. Thus, the end of the play fulfills Arete's promise that Cynthia will clean up the "spider webs" that have popped up among the courtiers. The conclusion of the play suggests that Elizabeth, too, will be able to discern between vice and virtue among those close to her, and Jonson celebrates the queen for her valuation of morality and merit over appearance and performance.
