Age of Chauser

Q.1 Write in brief about Chaucer or Edmund Spencer or Ben Jonson or Francis Bacon or any one.

Ben Johnson: (11 June 1572 - 16 August 1637)

     His full name was Benjamin Jonson. He was an English playwright and poet. He started his career in Elizabeth and age. He became literary dictator in the jacobean age and he lost his influence in the Carolina age. He was classically educated, which means he studied Greek and Roman classical literature.In Greek he read Homer Aristophanes. In Roman he read virgil, Horace Ovid, playtus.

   In his place he strictly followed classical unities that means unity of time ,unity of play, unity of actions were strictly followed in his plays. He didn't mix tragedy with comedy and these were the main difference between Ben Johnson and William Shakespeare writing.Johnson strictly followed classical unity.Ben Johnson's tragedy was totally different and comedy was totally different. It was based on tragic and comic Greek models and had followers on the rules.

        

   He wrote only two tragedies in his entire literary career.

1.Sejanus(1603)Sejanus                               His Fall 

2.Catiline (1611) Catiline

     His Conspiracy

  These were the Roman tragic plays but these tragic plays felt to impress Renaissance audiences.

Tevar was influenced by Julius Caesar written by Shakespeare.William shakespear wrote on the Roman Empire, so he also wrote on the Roman Empress, but the difference was  that Julius Caesar was a very famous woman empress and the heroes he had taken were absolutely fine.Like Sejanus and Catiline This Roman Empress was not famous so this nation audience did not like it.

Life & Works:

     Ben Johnson was born in 1572 in poor family and his father dies when Johnson was very young.

His mother married to a brick layer. But Johnson was admitted to Westminster school by an unknown person.

After completing his education he joined his father in his brick laying and then he joined Royal army.

Then he secured place in theatre company under enterprinuership of Philip Henslowe.

And as soon as he entered the theater company, he slowly started getting the frame.

As an actor Johnson played the role of protagonist Geronimo in the Spanish tragedy by Thomas Kyd.

            

 His first great play was Everyman in His Humour which was written in 1598.

People appreciated this play very much, then he wrote some plays.

Bartholomew Fair (1614)

The Devil is an Ass (1616)

The Alchemist (1610)

Isle of Dogs (1597)

The Poetaster (1601)

Sejanus (1603)

Eastward Ho (1605)

Tragedy:

  Sejanus(1603)

Catiline(1611)

Comedies:

  A Tale of a Tab(written - 1596,performed - 1633)

The Isle of Dogs (w-1597)

Every man in His Humour

Every man Out of His Humour

Cythia's Reveals or The Fountain of self Love

The Poetaster (p -1601)

The Silent Woman or Epicoence.

     

Ben Johnson was one such playwright who made the famous Masques and Anti Masques. And the public of England at that time liked such a place very much.Ben Johnson's plays were always full of satire and humor which people liked very much.James 1 also enjoyed Ben Johnson's play a lot. King James 1 provided royal patronage to Ben Johnson.So he used to write and perform Masques and Anti Masques for James 1. James provided him a pension of 100 marks yearly and Ben Johnson is considered as first poet Laureate of England.

 

Ben Johnson was always been a controversial writer. Having short temper and volatile  nature.

In the year 1597, he wrote a controversial play called Isle of Dogs and in this play he satirized Monarchy and also on Queen Elizabeth. After which he had to face many difficulties.

In one year he killed his follow actor Gabriel Spencer in a duel. But because of contacts he managed to escape being hanged.Then in the year 1601 he wrote another controversial play, The Poetaster, in which he sateris his rivals John Master and Thomas Decker. Then he wrote two controversial plays . 

Selected poems of Ben Johnson: Ben Johnson is a for probably far better known today for his career as a contemporary rival of the bard for the hearts and minds of Elizabeth era theatergoers. Indeed, is big it as adrama test everyman in his humor actually featured a young actor named will Shakespeare. That success was followed by other stage works which are still performed today including Volpone, Bartholomew Fair, and The Alchemist.

conclusion: By 1623, his fame had diminished in the Royal Court and in 1628 he suffered a stroke, due to which he became ill forever.His death on 16 August 1637, after which he was buried in Best Minister B.   

His play Every Man in Humour and Volpone is very famous even today.The places he wrote were Volphore, Barthlomew Fair and the Alchemist in place among British society per satire.Ben Johnson was the first writer of his time to have his own place published on his expense.It was a very common thing in those days.Ben Johnson's plays may have been less famous than Shakespeare's, but many poets and play writers followed him and made him their mentor.

                          

And these people broughtSons of Ben and Types of Ben This was a very famous place writer who also wrote the Elizabethan Age and Jacobean age.But he got more fame in the Jacobian Age.