Ben Jonson (1)

8/12/2019 Ben Jonson (1)

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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" "eenge t"agedies cultiated y *yd and +haes$ea"e, as

'ell as the late" ogue #o" the t"agic-comical mied d"ama o# +haes$ea"e%s last

$hase o# $"olem $lays.t"agicomedies (The Tempest ) / Jonson e$"esses his

dislie #o" !0ales, 0em$ests and such d"olle"ies%, 'hich he conside"s to contain a

!concu$iscence o# igs and dances%

- +haes$ea"e seems to hae sumitted to the $ulic demand #o" "omantic

esca$ism and ha$$y endings #o" t"agic d"ama / comining the eleated and the

o"dina"y- Jonson #aou"s u"an comedies / eue"ant, agg"essie, sue"sie

- he also $"oides "oyal ente"tainments, masues, $oems to $"ominent

a"istoc"ats, $"oing his de#e"ence #o" mona"chic "ule and a"istoc"atic $at"onage,

ut "emains an unthining "es$ecte" neithe" o# $e"sons no" o# autho"ity

- the comedies a"e cha"acte"ised y et"aagance o# cha"acte"isation and

neatness o# $lotting, e$osing "idiculous asu"dities, anomalies o# ehaiou",

inconsistencies o# cha"acte" (!humou"s%)

- his c"a#ted $lays o# the ea"ly 16s e$loit $atte"ns o# $o'e" and

mani$ulation& cha"acte"s einced $"ide in thei" natie 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 a"gon $"eclude his listening and "es$onding to othe"s&

the cha"acte"s a"e diided y thei" oices, idiolects, e$"essions / ee"yone gets

lost in 'o"ds& the $"o#essional t"icste" as e$ose" o# #olly and mae" o# #ools&

noisy ua""els !I #a"t at thee, I%ll st"i$ you, I%ll gum you" sils.ith goodst"ong

'ate"%& enginee"ed schemes in motion, ut the ineitale catast"o$he is ae"ted&

action in Blac#"ia"s house& +utle, the alchemist, anishes to gull clients sent

y ace& +utle and ace gull u"an suce"s (ammon *night, 8"ugge"

(toacco deale"), +u"ley (gameste"), 9u"itans (0"iulation holesome and:nanias)

- Jonson is gien to mani#estoes and decla"ations o# lite"a"y intent, e$"essed at

length in Timber or Discoveries Made upon Men and Manners (164)& comedy

is $"oclaimed as eual to t"agedy since ancient ;"ee d"ama& comedy o##e"s

mo"al inst"uction !no lesse than the 0"agics%& !the moing o# laughte"% is as

essential to comedy as !euity, t"uth, $e"s$icuity, candou"%

- the 9"ologue to the 2nd e"sion o# Every Man in his Humour (1616 olume)&

dislie #o" $lays 'hich mae !a child no' s'addled, to $"oceed an, and then

shoot u$, in one ea"d and 'eed .9ast th"eesco"e yea"s%& he 'ill hae noa$ologetic cho"uses, no scenic e##ects, no ominous noises&

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deeds and language, such as men do use,

:nd $e"sons, such as comedy 'ould choose,

hen she should sho' an image o# the times,

:nd s$o"t 'ith human #ollies, not 'ith c"imes

<ce$t 'e mae them such, y loing 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 sue"t "athe" than con#"ont& the

$lays "e$"esent a sha"ed and de#icient humanity "athe" than eleated and

isolated he"oes

- "eision o# Every Man in his Humour o# 15>? (+haes$ea"e) / the lo"entine

setting is "e'o"ed in 1616 as a London $lay / Lo"en@o-*no'ells, usco-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 ecess distu"ing the steady,

"easoned deelo$ment o# human a##ai"s

- ecess dete"mines Aol$one (165-6) / most sutle, a"ious, ene"getic& Epicene

or The Silent Woman (16>-1, 1616), The Alchemist (161-12), Bartholomew

Fair (1614, 1631)

- Epicene or The Silent Woman / the osessions o# o"ose, !a gent that loes no

noise%& his asu"d hate o# city li#e sounds maes him 'ithd"a' !: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 $"oes to e a nagging sh"e', then a oy in

disguise& the $lay ends in amiguity, dio"ce and the #inancial usti#ication o#

the disinhe"ited ne$he'

- Bartholomew Fair is set in London%s g"eat :ugust ai" side-sho's, eate"y,

"othel ("sula%s $ig tent), $"iy / a ca"nialesue city $o$ulated y Justice

:dam =e"do, 9u"itan Ceal-o#-the-Land Busy, the gallants Dua"lous and

in'i#e& d"a' in into "ee"sals, amiguities, su"$"ises, "ole changes /

acce$tance o# #"ailty

- Volpone (0he o) "eeals a saage Italienate menage"ie o, elsh-#ly,Aultu"e, E"o', Faen& cha"acte"s not "educed to conce$ts& Eelia (Geaenly) 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$t la'ye"s, isito"s 'ho mistae dissimulation #o" so$histication

- all alues a"e "ee"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 oe" natu"e, loe heaen& no a"lo'ian outside", no as$i"ing intellectual

o" clee" u$sta"t& an a"istoc"atic inside", 'ith a #lai" #o" me"cantile acuisitions&

acts "oles 'ith c"eatie ene"gy ($lutoc"at, inalid, mountean, musician, $oet,loe")& oliged to ecome inalid& #aulty Aenitian ustice

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- Jonson dist"usts "omance and $olitical ideals, unlie his eloed +haes$ea"e

!;ood mo"ning to the day& and net my gold

=$en the sh"ine, that I may see my saint

Gail the 'o"ld%s soul, and mine

o"e glad than is the teeming ea"th to see the longed-#o" sun9ee$ 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 lie a #lame y night, o" lie the day

+t"uc out o# chaos, 'hen all da"ness #led

nto the cent"e =, thou son o# +ol

But "ighte" than thy #athe", let me iss

ith ado"ation, thee and ee"y "elic

=# sac"ed t"easu"e in this lessed "oom%

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Ben Jonson (1)