The Renaissance court masque, traditionally an entertainment of music, dancing, pageantry, and spectacular scenic effects, was transformed by Ben Jonson into a serious mode of literary expression. By using its peculiar viability as a forum for his dramatic imagination, Jonson resolved and transcended the satiric vision that was in many ways the substance of Jonsonian drama. He instructed as well as applauded his courtly audience and, with the aid of the great theatrical designer Indigo Jones, brought unity to the diverse elements of the masque, infusing them with a moral and poetic life. This...

This volume contains three of Ben Jonson's greatest plays - Sejanus (1603), Volpone (1606) and Epicoene, or The Silent Woman (1609). Sejanus, an experimental tragedy written in the classical manner, was labelled a seditious work at the time of its first production and embroiled Jonson with the Privy Council. Volpone is the first of his mature comedies, with a remarkable cast of Venetian legacy-hunters: using verse of mock-heroic grandeur Jonson created in the character of Volpone one of his most flamboyant and cynical swindlers. Epicoene is a brilliant farce which makes fun of the pretensions...

Four of Ben Jonson's plays are examined in this volume: two are his major works and two from his later oeuvre. The Alchemist (1610) is a major satire on folly and greed, brilliantly plotted and dazzling in its use of language. Bartholomew Fair (1614), possibly Jonson's greatest achievement, reveals a panoramic depiction of London society. The New Inn (1629) and A Tale of a Tub (1633) suggest a different Jonson, exploring new forms and writing from a profoundly modified perspective. In The New Inn, a romantic comedy overlaid with an atmospheric melancholy and ethical urgency, Jonson engages...

This is the most thoroughly investigated edition of Volpone to date, based on a wider collation of the 1607 quarto and 1616 folio versions than was previously possible. It calls into question several accepted textual conclusions.
The introduction sets Volpone in the context of Jonson's career at the time of writing and introduces new material on its relation to the Reynard beast epic and the commedia dell' arte. Ambiguities in the play are discussed with reference to two Renaissance perversions of the myth of the Golden Age. Particular attention is paid to the rhythmic effects of the play...

This edition of Jonson's great Roman tragedy is more intensively researched than any that has previously appeared. The text is based on extensive collation of the 1605 and 1616 versions and takes the earlier version as "copy-text." The introduction offers a radically new assessment of Jonson's "historiography" and his treatment of sources. It provides an explanation for the charge of treason leveled at Jonson over Sejanus and for which he had to answer to the Privy Council. Explanatory notes to the text provide much new information to facilitate a properly informed reading of the play.

The New Inn is one of the most neglected of Jonson's plays which is now finding a new and appreciative audience. May be read, according to this Editor's introduction, as a tribute to Shakespeare, and as a belated recognition that the fantasies of romance contain profound truths. The spelling has been modernised and the text updated and corrected for this paperback edition. There is also a critical introduction, helpful appendices and a commentary which explains difficult or significant passages within the play.

Ben Jonson (1572-1637), actor, playwright, satirist, and lyric poet, studied under William Camden at Westminster, worked as a bricklayer, served in the army, and was imprisoned twice--once for sedition and once for murder. Epicoene: or, The Silent Woman (1609) is considered one of his greatest comedies, upon which, along with Volpone (1607), The Alchemist (1610), and Bartholomew Fair (1614), his reputation rests. At his death, he was regarded as the leading man of letters in England, and was a major influence on the Cavalier poets, including Robert Herrick, Sir John Suckling, Thomas Carew,...

The five plays in this volume, Sejanus, The Alchemist, Volpone, Every Man in his Humour, and Bartholomew Fair - fairly represent the range and variety of Jonson's work as a playwright. The texts have been modernized from authoritative editions. Each play is preceded by a facsimile title page.Keywords: Bartholomew Fair Five Plays Sejanus Volpone Alchemist Playwright Every Man Facsimile Humour

This edition of Ben Jonson's Plays is complete in two volumes. This is Volume One. Contents: Vol 1: Cynthia's Revels (1600) Epicoene (1609) Every Man in His Humour, first version (1598) second version (1601) Every Man out of His Humour (1599) The Poetaster (1601) Sejanus (1603) Vulpine (1605). At the end of each volume is a glossary.Keywords: Bartholomew Fair Every Man Humour Sejanus Sad Shepherd Ben Jonson Magnetic Lady Vulpine Revels Alchemist Staple Cynthia Vol 1 Conspiracy Devil Glossary

This edition of Ben Jonson's Plays is complete in two volumes. This is Volume Two. Contents: Vol II: The Alchemist (1610) Bartholomew Fair (1614) The Case is Altered (1599) Catiline his Conspiracy (1611) The Devil Is an Ass (1631) The Magnetic Lady (1632) The New Inn (1629) The Sad Shepherd (1637?) The Staple of News, (1625) A Tale of a Tub (1633). At the end of each volume is a glossary.