Ben Jonson (1572-1637)

-the Induction on the stage to the London comedy Bartholomew Fair (1614,
1631) states that comedy should e !me""y, and as #ull o# noise as s$o"t, made to
delight all, and to o##end none%& ased on the inte"action et'een illusion and
"eality, acto" (s) non-acto"
- c"iticises the taste #o" "e(enge t"agedies culti(ated y *yd and +ha,es$ea"e, as
'ell as the late" (ogue #o" the t"agic-comical mi-ed d"ama o# +ha,es$ea"e%s last
$hase o# $"olem $lays.t"agicomedies (The Tempest) / Jonson e-$"esses his
disli,e #o" !0ales, 0em$ests and such d"olle"ies%, 'hich he conside"s to contain a
!concu$iscence o# 1igs and dances%
- +ha,es$ea"e seems to ha(e sumitted to the $ulic demand #o" "omantic
esca$ism and ha$$y endings #o" t"agic d"ama / comining the ele(ated and the
o"dina"y
- Jonson #a(ou"s u"an comedies / e-ue"ant, agg"essi(e, su(e"si(e
- he also $"o(ides "oyal ente"tainments, mas2ues, $oems to $"ominent
a"istoc"ats, $"o(ing his de#e"ence #o" mona"chic "ule and a"istoc"atic $at"onage,
ut "emains an unthin,ing "es$ecte" neithe" o# $e"sons no" o# autho"ity
- the comedies a"e cha"acte"ised y e-t"a(agance o# cha"acte"isation and
neatness o# $lotting, e-$osing "idiculous asu"dities, anomalies o# eha(iou",
inconsistencies o# cha"acte" (!humou"s%)
- his c"a#ted $lays o# the ea"ly 1633s e-$loit $atte"ns o# $o'e" and
mani$ulation& cha"acte"s e(inced $"ide in thei" nati(e genius, ut #all $"ey to
#la'ed amitions / con#ounded y language
- The Alchemist / comedy o# cha"acte" 'hose egocent"icity, sel#-cent"edness
and $"ide in $"o#essional 1a"gon $"eclude his listening and "es$onding to othe"s&
the cha"acte"s a"e di(ided y thei" (oices, idiolects, e-$"essions / e(e"yone gets
lost in 'o"ds& the $"o#essional t"ic,ste" as e-$ose" o# #olly and ma,e" o# #ools&
noisy 2ua""els4 !I #a"t at thee, I%ll st"i$ you, I%ll gum you" sil,s.5ith goodst"ong
'ate"%& enginee"ed schemes in motion, ut the ine(itale catast"o$he is a(e"ted&
action in Blac,#"ia"s house& +utle, the alchemist, (anishes to gull clients sent
y 6ace& +utle and 6ace gull u"an suc,e"s (7ammon *night, 8"ugge"
(toacco deale"), +u"ley (gameste"), 9u"itans (0"iulation 5holesome and
:nanias)
- Jonson is gi(en to mani#estoes and decla"ations o# lite"a"y intent, e-$"essed at
length in Timber or Discoveries Made upon Men and Manners (1643)& comedy
is $"oclaimed as e2ual to t"agedy since ancient ;"ee, d"ama& comedy o##e"s
mo"al inst"uction !no lesse than the 0"agic,s%& !the mo(ing o# laughte"% is as
essential to comedy as !e2uity, t"uth, $e"s$icuity, candou"%
- the 9"ologue to the 2
nd
(e"sion o# Every Man in his Humour (1616 (olume)&
disli,e #o" $lays 'hich ma,e !a child no' s'addled, to $"oceed 7an, and then
shoot u$, in one ea"d and 'eed .9ast th"eesco"e yea"s%& he 'ill ha(e no
a$ologetic cho"uses, no scenic e##ects, no ominous noises&
)))deeds and language, such as men do use,
:nd $e"sons, such as comedy 'ould choose,
5hen she should sho' an image o# the times,
:nd s$o"t 'ith human #ollies, not 'ith c"imes)
<-ce$t 'e ma,e them such, y lo(ing still
=u" $o$ula" e""o"s, 'hen 'e ,no' they%"e ill)
I mean such e""o"s as you%ll all con#ess
By laughing at them, they dese"(e no less%
-dis$oses o# a"ti#ice #o" $lain 'o"ds, 'hich su(e"t "athe" than con#"ont& the
$lays "e$"esent a sha"ed and de#icient humanity "athe" than ele(ated and
isolated he"oes
- "e(ision o# Every Man in his Humour o# 15>? (+ha,es$ea"e) / the 6lo"entine
setting is "e'o",ed in 1616 as a London $lay / Lo"en@o-*no'ells, 7usco-
B"ain'o"m& Boadill(a) as a 9aul%s man, a lounging, $"o#essional #laneu" 'ho
s$o"ts 'ith human #olly& study o# 'himsical e-cess distu"ing the steady,
"easoned de(elo$ment o# human a##ai"s
- e-cess dete"mines Aol$one (1635-6) / most sutle, (a"ious, ene"getic& Epicene
or The Silent Woman (163>-13, 1616), The Alchemist (1613-12), Bartholomew
Fair (1614, 1631)
- Epicene or The Silent Woman / the osessions o# 7o"ose, !a gent that lo(es no
noise%& his asu"d hate o# city li#e sounds ma,es him 'ithd"a'4 !:ll discou"ses
ut mine o'n a##lict me, they seem ha"sh, im$e"tinent and i",some%& an
eccent"ic misanth"o$ist e-$osed to $ulic "idicule& to s$ite his ne$he', he
ma""ies a silent 'oman, 'ho $"o(es to e a nagging sh"e', then a oy in
disguise& the $lay ends in amiguity, di(o"ce and the #inancial 1usti#ication o#
the disinhe"ited ne$he'
- Bartholomew Fair is set in London%s g"eat :ugust 6ai"4 side-sho's, eate"y,
"othel (B"sula%s $ig tent), $"i(y / a ca"ni(ales2ue city $o$ulated y Justice
:dam =(e"do, 9u"itan Ceal-o#-the-Land Busy, the gallants Dua"lous and
5in'i#e& d"a' in into "e(e"sals, amiguities, su"$"ises, "ole changes /
acce$tance o# #"ailty
- Volpone (0he 6o-) "e(eals a sa(age Italienate menage"ie4 6o-, 6elsh-#ly,
Aultu"e, E"o', Fa(en& cha"acte"s not "educed to conce$ts& Eelia (Gea(enly) and
Bona"io "e$"esent mo"ality in a naughty 'o"ld
- Aenice / a setting o# unsc"u$ulous, co""u$t me"chants, me"cena"y husands,
co""u$t la'ye"s, (isito"s 'ho mista,e dissimulation #o" so$histication
- all (alues a"e "e(e"sed o" "ede#ined& Aol$one glo"ies mo"e !in the cunning
$u"chase o# my 'ealth than in the glad $ossession, since I gain no common 'ay
/ gold o(e" natu"e, lo(e hea(en& no 7a"lo'ian outside", no as$i"ing intellectual
o" cle(e" u$sta"t& an a"istoc"atic inside", 'ith a #lai" #o" me"cantile ac2uisitions&
acts "oles 'ith c"eati(e ene"gy ($lutoc"at, in(alid, mountean,, musician, $oet,
lo(e")& oliged to ecome in(alid& #aulty Aenitian 1ustice
- Jonson dist"usts "omance and $olitical ideals, unli,e his elo(ed +ha,es$ea"e
!;ood mo"ning to the day& and ne-t my gold
=$en the sh"ine, that I may see my saint
Gail the 'o"ld%s soul, and mine
7o"e glad than is the teeming ea"th to see the longed-#o" sun
9ee$ t"ough the ho"ns o# the celestial Fam
:m I, to (ie' thy s$lendou" da",ening his&
0hat lying the"e, amongst my othe" hoa"ds,
+ho'%st li,e a #lame y night, o" li,e the day
+t"uc, out o# chaos, 'hen all da",ness #led
Bnto the cent"e) =, thou son o# +ol
But "ighte" than thy #athe", let me ,iss
5ith ado"ation, thee and e(e"y "elic
=# sac"ed t"easu"e in this lessed "oom)%