Ben Jonson

In Ben Jonson’s life, he was a playwright, a poet, an actor, and a critic of literary works. Some of his stories are humours, a type of story that became common when his own works made it well known. In these humours, the characters each have two “humours” or key personality traits. Born in London, Ben Jonson’s family raised him a Protestant. He attended the children's school of St. Martin’s Lane. Before jonson was born, his father died and his mother remarried. Later in Jonson’s life, he became a bricklayer, English soldier, and even a Catholic. As for his personality, Jonson wasn’t afraid to be bold and sometimes controversial. As he wrote his works, William Shakespeare was in his mind because he was his rival poet. As his life went on, Ben left the Catholic faith and reverted to Protestantism. Ben Jonson led a busy life in…

The extract is taken from Ben Jonson’s comedy ‘The Alchemist’, dating from 1610, written in free verse. The passage is placed at the end of the play, in the fifth act, when the tension is at its highest and the foul play the main characters Face, Subtle and Dol Common are undertaking is at its maximum. All of their victims have confided their desires to them and the three tricksters have been – up to now - trying their very best to make as much profit out of these desires as they could (Watson…

Shakespeare’s Impact in Culture Ben Jonson once said that Shakespeare “(…) was not of an age, but for all time!” He had met the author long before he became the man he is to all of us today. Jonson knew Shakespeare’s capabilities and therefore he said this quote meaning that Shakespeare was a man whose views transcended his time. He knew that this amazing author would be well-known by the world and that his works would prevail through the ages. As you may already know, this is true,…

Much Ado About Nothing is a play written by English writer William Shakespeare. Believed to have been written between 1598 and 1599, the story is likely taking place sometime in the 16th century, in the midst of the Italian Wars in Messina, with Shakespeare bringing the real-life issue in the play by having characters come from some of the regions at war (Florence, Aragon, Padua). This play is in fact set in Messina, which is a port in the island of Sicily (Italy). While Much Ado About Nothing…

In the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, the setting entails a prattling town called Messina where how a person is described is everything to each other. The citizens of the town however have a different sense of what reputation is than those who are only passing through. In the play Shakespeare creates a character named Leonato who cares where he is on the social class, and this negates the beliefs of Don John, a selfish character that focuses on his ominous plan. Nonetheless…

The Story of Love in Much Ado About Nothing In William Shakespeare’s epic drama Much Ado About Nothing, passionate love is shown through two love stories. Claudio a young soldier has fallen for a young beautiful maiden named Hero, who is the daughter of the Governor of Messina, Leonato. Beatrice, Leonato niece, has an eye for the hansom soldier named Benedick who is fighting alongside Prince Don Pedro. Shakespeare’s vivid detail helps to depict the hard love seen through these lovers. In…

Shakespeare is one of the most brilliant writers to ever grace the earth, he inspired others to be great and gave us amazing plays as a result of his brilliance. However, Shakespeare did not always make art that was appreciated by all or understood by all. The Merchant of Venice is a prime example of this controversy, because of some of the interesting messages the play conveys, and the age old battle of whether or not it is a comedy or tragedy. There needs to be a clear understanding of the…

In Shakespeare 's sonnet "Sonnet CXXX," the blazon is constructed in a very peculiar way. Mary Wroth, in sonnet 42 "Pamphilia to Amphilanthus," interprets the blazon within herself rather than her love. Both uses of the blazon depict a time in which love is of the essence. However, in both sonnets, the person in which they are describing is forever unknown. Shakespeare attacks the blazon of his sonnet and creates an anti-blazon, while both sonnets are still in singular perspectives. In…

1. The thesis statement in The New York Times article is the one that says that little was known about Shakespeare’s life and that all people could know about him was from his plays. 2. Anon is a shorter way to say anonymous. Anon is also a Greek author who had little recognition and his name became a synonym for anonymous. Nobody knows about Anon’s life, his appearance or his personality, only about his works. There is a comparison of Anon to Shakespeare because scholars know little about…

The Creation of Humor and Drama In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare created a lighthearted comedy regarding love and all that it entails, with entertaining characters. Although Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy, drama also plays a factor in the story through the diverse mix of serious personalities such as Don John, with more humorous personalities such as Benedick. In addition to these extremes on the serious-humorous spectrum, Shakespeare also uses more complex personalities, such as…