Ben Jonson
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Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637) was a Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor, known best for his satirical plays and lyric poems. He had a knack for absurdity and hypocrisy, a trait that made him immensely popular in the 17th century Renaissance period. However, his reputation diminished somewhat in the Romantic era, when he began to be unfairly compared to Shakespeare. The Theatre in London had had been denied to "The Admiral's Men" in 1597, but the troupe...
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"Sejanus: His Fall" by Ben Jonson portrays the downfall of Lucius Aelius Sejanus, a historical figure who rose to power as the commander of the Praetorian Guard in ancient Rome. The play explores themes of political ambition, corruption, and the dangers of seeking too much power. Sejanus conspires to overthrow Emperor Tiberius, but his ambitious plans unravel as his allies turn against him. The play serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences...
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Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637) was a Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor, known best for his satirical plays and lyric poems. He worked shortly as an actor in "The Admiral's Men", but soon moved on to writing original plays for the troupe. Jonson's works are particularly recognizable because of his consistencies in style, intricacy of plot, characterization and setting. He focused on creating works that implemented elements of the realistic as well...
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It is known that Shakespeare's company produced several of Jonson's plays, Shakespeare himself appearing in "Every Man in His Humour" (1598). The play was Jonson's first major success, written in the style of "humour plays," a genre of comedy originated by George Chapman. In it, Jonson targets some of his favorite topics for satire: education, love, poetry, and social classes. As each major character represents a different issue, the play transforms...
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"Every Man Out of His Humour" is the companion play to the highly successful "Every Man in His Humour," which was produced by and starred William Shakespeare. This comedy of humors, much like its prequel, is a satire of English society. Jonson's complex and witty characters are a scathing representation of the flaws he saw in education, love, poetry, and social classes around him.
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Ben Jonson's career began in 1597 when he held a fixed engagement in the "Admiral's Men", and although he was unsuccessful as an actor, his literary talent was apparent and he began writing original plays for the troupe. Jonson's works are particularly recognizable because of his consistencies in style, intricacy of plot, characterization and setting. He focused on creating works that implemented elements of the realistic as well as the absurd. His...
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"The Devil is an Ass" is a mildly satirical play, in which a lesser devil named Pug is allowed by Satan to travel to London and entrap innocent souls. He is surprised, however, when his victims turn out to be more cunning and unscrupulous than expected. Subplots involving scams and deception weave together in this highly comical tale of a group of Londoners making an ass of the Devil.
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Jonson's play uses this fair as the setting for an unusually detailed and diverse panorama of early seventeenth-century London life. The one day of fair life represented in the play allows Jonson ample opportunity to not just conduct his plot, but also to depict the vivid life of the fair, from pickpockets and bullies to justices and slumming gallants. Jonson also uses the characters that he creates as a way to comment on the social, religious and...
10) A Tale of a Tub
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Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637) was a Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor, known best for his satirical plays and lyric poems. His career began in 1597 when he held a fixed engagement in the "Admiral's Men", and although he was unsuccessful as an actor, his literary talent was apparent and he began writing original plays for the troupe. Jonson had a knack for absurdity and hypocrisy, a trait that made him immensely popular in the 17th century Renaissance...
11) The Poetaster
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The term poetaster, meaning an inferior poet with pretensions to artistic value, had been coined by Erasmus in 1521. It was used by Jonson in 1600 and then popularised with this play a year later. Poetaster is a late Elizabethan satirical comedy written by Ben Jonson that was first performed in 1601. The play formed one element in the back-and-forth exchange between Jonson and his rivals John Marston and Thomas Dekker in the so-called Poetomachia...
12) Eastward Ho
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Jonson worked with Marston and George Chapman on a satirical city comedy called "Eastward Ho!" The collaborative effort was a remarkable success, blending three very different writings styles into a single, coherent play. The tale of contemporary London life was written in response to the immense success of Thomas Dekker and John Webster's "Westward Ho!"
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"The Staple of News" is a satire on the newspaper and news agency business that was quickly developing at the time. The plot draws on at least five plays by Aristophanes, and tells the story of the plutocratic Lady Pecunia, an array of wooers and jeerers, and a group of women who represent "females out of control," a common theme of Jonson's work.
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"The Alchemist" by Ben Jonson is a comedic play that satirizes the greed and gullibility of its characters. Set in London, it follows three con artists who exploit the desire for wealth and transformation. As they pose as alchemists, chaos ensues when their schemes collide. The play humorously examines human flaws and the pursuit of unrealistic ambitions, showcasing Jonson's wit and social commentary.
15) Bartholomew Fair
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"Bartholomew Fair" was written in 1614, during the time considered to be Jonson's heyday (1605-1620), and is one of the playwright's most popular works. The story takes place on St. Bartholomew's day, where in the town of Smithfield an annual fair was held. To Jonson, the fair was a representation of society. In addition to the chaotic fair itself, characters like the justice-seeking Adam Overdo; Bartholomew Cokes, a confident but witless man of means;...
16) Cynthia's Revels
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In 1601 the playwright produced "Cynthia's Revels, or The Fountain of Self-Love," a sort of stepping stone towards his subsequent masterpieces. The play was part of the so-called Poetomachia, or War of the Theatres, between Jonson and playwrights John Marston and Thomas Dekker. The character Cynthia represented Queen Elizabeth, and the play was marked by violence and controversy in reflection of the queen's final reigning years.
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Joson's final comedy, "The Magnetic Lady, or Humours Reconciled," tells the story of a chaotic but revealing dinner party, with the wealthy Lady Loadstone, her attractive young niece, Placentia Steel, a group of amorous but foolish suitors, and a few out of control female servants.
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"Epicoene: The Silent Woman" is a comedic play by Ben Jonson. Morose, a wealthy old man, seeks a wife who is quiet and silent. He plans to disinherit his nephew if he doesn't marry Epicoene, a supposedly silent woman. However, Epicoene turns out to be a young man in disguise. Chaos erupts as characters scheme to uphold the deception. Jonson's play humorously critiques societal expectations of gender roles, marriage, and appearances, while exploring...
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"Cynthia's Revels: The Fountain of Self-Love" by Ben Jonson is a satirical play that delves into the world of courtly flattery, vanity, and self-indulgence. The court of Queen Cynthia (a representation of Queen Elizabeth I) is populated by characters representing various vices and follies. The central character, Crites, is a young courtier who seeks self-improvement through the Fountain of Self-Love. Through witty dialogues and sharp humor, Jonson...