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    1 Ben Jonson

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    Ben Jonson was a contemporary of Shakespeare who practiced bricklaying and acting before becoming a favorite of King James I's court. He was educated at Westminster School and known for his satirical comedies that drew from classical models to expose vices in contemporary English society through caricatures obsessed with singular eccentricities or humors. Jonson was buried in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner.

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    1 Ben Jonson

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    Theaaa
    113 views8 pages
    Ben Jonson was a contemporary of Shakespeare who practiced bricklaying and acting before becoming a favorite of King James I's court. He was educated at Westminster School and known for his satirical comedies that drew from classical models to expose vices in contemporary English society through caricatures obsessed with singular eccentricities or humors. Jonson was buried in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner.

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    Ben Jonson was a contemporary of Shakespeare who practiced bricklaying and acting before becoming a favorite of King James I's court. He was educated at Westminster School and known for his satirical comedies that drew from classical models to expose vices in contemporary English society through caricatures obsessed with singular eccentricities or humors. Jonson was buried in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    113 views8 pages

    1 Ben Jonson

    Uploaded by

    Theaaa
    Ben Jonson was a contemporary of Shakespeare who practiced bricklaying and acting before becoming a favorite of King James I's court. He was educated at Westminster School and known for his satirical comedies that drew from classical models to expose vices in contemporary English society through caricatures obsessed with singular eccentricities or humors. Jonson was buried in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 8

     Ben Jonson was a contemporary of Shakespeare

     he was educated at the Westminster School


     he practiced bricklaying
     he became an actor, but after a duel with a fellow actor
    named Gabriel Spencer, he was put on trial and as a
    result of his crime he was branded with the letter T
     he became one of the favourite figures at king James I’s
    court
     As a secretary of Sir Walter Raleigh, he travelled to
    Scotland -a Master of Arts degree; the title Poet
    Laureate; the honour of knighthood
     In his last years he was assigned historian to the city of
    London
     He was buried in the Poets’ Corner at Westminster
    Abbey.
     concerned with formal rules, for Jonson the
    dramatic formula came first
     he inspired himself from the classical models (the
    rules of the dramatic structure, the function of
    comedy, the type of humor)
     He is a great example of the Renaissance
    Humanist (he applied rules derived from classical
    theory or practice)
     He is an impressively original dramatist in his
    ironically humorous view of human nature
     He is the first significant example of a literary
    dictator in English LITERATURE
     he was a true and learned observer of
    dramatic laws
     He opposed the romantic drama of the day
     His writings delineate a realistic picture of
    English life and culture (greed for power and
    lack of moral principles )
     his drama performed a social function
     his major aim was to expose the vices of
    men: to ridicule the individual so that he may
    be improved.
     comedy of intrigue in line with the Roman
    comedy of Plautus and Terence
     satiric picture of contemporary human foibles
     the Prologue: his writing realistically opposes the
    themes and conventions of contemporary drama
     a “comedy of humours”: every characters is
    obsessed by one particular eccentricity
     An old theory of humours (Theophrastus and
    Galen): four bodily fluids/ humours: blood,
    phlegm, yellow bile (choler), black bile
    (melancholy) determine the health and
    disposition of a man.
     In contrast to his realistic intention he did not
    present real human beings, but caricatures.
     He presents eccentrics, guided by one single
    peculiarity
     The main character is Bobadill -a boasting
    blusterer , is very skilfull in telling lies and
    fooling everybody
     Comedy becomes satire and most frequently it
    degenerates into farce.
     The action is set in London - Jonson’s real aim
    was that of mocking at his contemporary society,
    life and manners.
     Written in colloquial prose and with few instances
    of blank verse
     the play exposes the obsessions and absurdities
    of the characters.
     The satiric note is stronger
     the characters are given names indicative of their
    foibles: Carlo Buffone- an obscene jester;
    Fastidious Brisk-a dandy, Sordido (dirty)-
    avaricious person, Fungoso- a law student who
    imitates Fastidious Brisk in the matter of clothes;
    Sogliardo –a clown, brother to Sordido
     the main character, Asper (Lat. harsh) comments
    on the action and acts as a pitiless judge of
    morals and of society
     Situations are not coherently connected which
    makes the play more episodic.
     starts from Petronius’ captatores, the legacy hunters of Rome
     Jonson gives the story of a rich old Venetian gentleman who
    is passionately in love with his gold
     Volpone pretends he is mortally ill so that his wealthy
    neighbours, just as greedy and avaricious as he himself,
    would offer him favours in the hope of inheriting his fortune
     The legacy hunters struggle to prove their devotion to
    Volpone
     His servant Mosca cunningly plays on their expectations and
    fears
     The action is set in Italy (the home of vice), but the satire is
    general (the way lust for wealth can degrade human beings)
     . Jonson appeals to extravagant imagery ( the obsessive
    nature of the characters’ drive for wealth is sanctioned)
     Dominated by one humour , the characters restrictively move
    around their single predominant traits.

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