Among the Jacobean and Elizabethan dramatists, Ben Jonson's reputation always came second to that of Shakespeare. He was Stuart dramatist from England, literary critic and lyric poet. Ben was born in 11th June 1572 in London after his father death two months earlier. He became a playwright and an actor after fighting alongside the England army in Netherlands. Among his greatest works and play are the Alchemist and Volpone. The paper compares and contrast the two these two great plays by Ben; the Alchemist and Volpone, giving an insight of the mind and ideas of Ben, some which cut across most of his works. Generally, plays by Ben were not received well by the audience and had many critics, but Volpone and Alchemist seems to have been popular than the rest, probably because of the topic.
Alchemist remains to be one of Jonson’s popular comedies. Swindling or coy-catching was common in the seventeenth century. Swindle or coy is an acquainted theme that Ben found to be comedy natural topic. The play is informed by Ben’s wide-ranging reading and learning. To a modern audience, the play se...
... still making his tale a satire on the ‘anachronistic chivalric mentality that was already hastening Spain’s decline’ (450). English playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson and William Shakespeare’s works on the stage ranged from heroes whose ambitions got the better of them (Doctor Faustus), lower class characters getting the upper hand over their superiors (Alchemist), and indecisive idealism (Hamlet)–all focusing on the human behavior (450).
Renaissance, and Postmodernist Acts of the Imagination: Essays Commemorating O. B. Hardison, Jr. Cranbury, N. J.: Associated University Presses, 1996. 177-194. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 81. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.
In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’, there are many instances of trickery and deception, which seem to surround the whole of the play.
One of Shakespeare’s last comedies is Much Ado About Nothing. It is filled with laughter, yet there are some dark aspects that make the play seem part tragedy. There is love at first sight with Hero and Claudio; there is love that develops with Benedick and Beatrice, evil scheming with Don John and his accomplices, Borachio and Conrad, and a very emotional and dramatic confusion that is the play’s namesake.
William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy in which he uses one of his more peculiar villains. The antagonist in this play is Don John, the bastard brother of Don Pedro. In this paper I will discuss the role of Don John as well as his motives and the character himself. I will also delve into Shakespeare's use of Don John as the antagonist. I will be comparing Don John to other characters in the play as well as to other villains in Shakespeare's works. While Don John does not spend a great deal of time on the stage in Much Ado About Nothing, he still plays a vital role in the plot of the play. The plan that he sets in motion is one of the two main stories within the play (the battle of wit between Beatrice and Benedict being the other).
Warren, Roger. Shakespeare Survey 30. N.p.: n.p., 1977. Pp. 177-78. Rpt. in Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism. Stanley Wells, ed. England: Oxford University Press, 2000.
However, Volpone is by no means a simple comedy, and there are elements of several genres contemporary to Jonson an...
10. Walter N. King. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 , Vol. 8, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Spring, 1968) , pp. 283-306
Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, there is consistent theme of conflict featured in terms of both mental, physical and emotional means. The way this dispute is embodied throughout the duration of the play alternates subject to subject to the character in question- but can be represented through many means.
Warren, Roger. Shakespeare Survey 30. N.p.: n.p., 1977. Pp. 177-78. Rpt. in Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism. Stanley Wells, ed. England: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
The Renaissance has been a diverse period and had people who held dear to the art and literature, which have developed over the period. Starting with literature, was well known and popular in forms of plays, which have been presented out to people in that era and even today. One of the writers that have been noticed and presented in different styles in our time is William Shakespeare. William was known for writing most of the popular plays in the 1600’s and for interpreting language which was known for being ‘Shakespearean Language’. These languages in his plays are used from the renaissance era and are more likely seen with in the other writer’s stories as well. Though William was not the only one, there are others before him that has studied
The Alchemist is only one of many plays that influenced the way that we viewed Elizabethan society. It showed us that in the worst of times, no one was safe from treachery and deceit. The theater was one of the main forms of entertainment and anyone could enjoy plays such as this. It also shows that Shakespeare was not the only great playwright of this time. The Elizabethan period was a great time in our world’s history, and the theater was it’s greatest moment.
Upon reading Shakespeare's l604 tragedy, Othello, the Moor of Venice and Jonson's l606 comedy, Volpone, or The Foxe, a reader will notice both similarities and differences. In both plays, we meet characters of "rare ingenious knavery." Indeed, Iago, Volpone, and Mosca are uncommonly similar in nature. An elaborate "con game" is practiced in each play through intriguing dramatic inventiveness. However, the focus of Shakespeare's tragedy is upon a noble and heroic figure; the focus of Jonson's comedy is upon a monster of depravity, a genius in crime.
Throughout the United States and the entire world people are aware of Shakespeare; however, many people wonder why society wants their citizens to continue to read William Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Shakespeare continues to influence today’s environment and brings people together by speaking of a common author that most people know. All across the world, students must read at least one of Shakespeare’s works; which often develop those children who read his works into better writers. During the Elizabethan Era, William Shakespeare experienced an uneventful childhood and had a basic education; however, his life still seems to be shrouded with mystery and raises the argument that he was not only the most successful, but also the most mysterious playwright, actor, and poet from that time period.