Synopsis
At the start of the play, the Irish Druids are up in arms, and soldiers are manning all the ports, in response to a prophecy of St. Patrick's arrival and his coming success in converting Ireland to Christianity. The King, Leogarius, has been having nightmare visions of the coming campaign against him. But of course, St. Patrick's arrival is not the military-style campaign that the King fears; the saint comes with a group of priests — and his guardian angel, Victor. Leogarius tries to poison Patrick, but fails; a servant drinks the poison and dies, but is brought back to life by Patrick (a miracle that converts Leogarius's queen). In another instance, two men disguise themselves as the statues of Jupiter and Mars in a pagan temple (Shirley conflates the Druids with Roman mythology), and when the King is present the statues move and speak and demand the blood of Patrick. After the ceremony is done, the masqueraders descend from their pedestals, and as a reward are allowed to "dance" with the Queen's daughters. In the final confrontation, the Druid Archimagus summons up poisonous snakes to kill the sleeping Patrick; but the saint providentially wakes in time and dispels the snakes from the entire island. The Archimagus is swallowed by the earth. The King converts to Christianity as a result — though Patrick mistrusts the firmness of his change of heart (a reservation that leaves an opening for a continuation of the story).
Forsythe notes significant parallels in structure and characterization with the Dekker/Massinger play The Virgin Martyr, among other works of the era.
Read more about this topic: Saint Patrick For Ireland