Samuel Taylor Coleridge said of Ben Jonson's The Alchemist that it had one out of the three most perfect plots in literature. This play, with its sharp portrayal of human folly, is considered by many to be Jonson's best comedy. First performed 1610, its popularity has endured to this day.

An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country, leaving his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into 'Captain Face', and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman and Dol Common, a prostitute. In The Alchemist, Jonson unashamedly satirizes the follies, vanities and vices of mankind, most notably greed-induc...

Sejanus His Fall by Ben Jonson is a powerful historical tragedy that explores ambition, corruption, and the dangerous pursuit of power within the political world of ancient Rome. Known for its intellectual depth and classical influence, this remarkable play presents a dramatic portrait of a man whose rise to authority ultimately leads to his downfall. The story centers on Lucius Aelius Sejanus, the ambitious and cunning commander of the Praetorian Guard during the reign of the Roman Empero...

Volpone by Ben Jonson is offered here in a clean English digital edition prepared for fluent ebook reading. The work stands within shakespeare and gives modern readers direct access to a public-domain classic with navigable structure and a restrained typographic presentation. The opening pages establish the book's atmosphere with this first movement: Act I Scene 1 Act II Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Act III Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 Scene 5 Scene 6 Act IV Scene 1 Scene 2 Act V Scene 1 Sce...

The three plays collected in this volume depict the faults, errors and foibles of ordinary people with exuberant humour, savage satire and acute observations. Volpone portrays a rich Venetian who pretends to be dying so that his despised acquaintances will flock to his bedside with extravagant gifts in hope of an inheritance. The Alchemist also deals with greed and gullibility, as a rascally trio of confidence tricksters, claiming to have the legendary Philosopher's Stone, fool a series of...

"Sejanus: His Fall" by Ben Jonson portrays the downfall of Lucius Aelius Sejanus, a historical figure who rose to power as the commander of the Praetorian Guard in ancient Rome. The play explores themes of political ambition, corruption, and the dangers of seeking too much power. Sejanus conspires to overthrow Emperor Tiberius, but his ambitious plans unravel as his allies turn against him. The play serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of unchecked ambition and the corrupting...

Discoveries and Some Poems is a classic English poetry collection by Ben Jonson.In this classic volume of Ben Jonson poetry we have some of the best thoughts of one of the most vigorous minds that ever added to the strength of English literature.

This book-collection file includes: The Alchemist, Cynthia's Revels, Epicoene, Every Man in His Humour, Every Man Out of His Humour, The Poetaster, Sejanus, and Volpone. It also includes Felix Schelling's introduction to the Complete Plays of Ben Jonson. According to Schelling, Jonson is "the greatest of English dramatists except Shakespeare, the first literary dictator and poet-laureate, a writer of verse, prose, satire, and criticism who most potently of all the men of his time affected ...

In this uproarious satire from Jacobean playwright Ben Jonson, the clever Venetian gentleman Volpone hatches an outrageous scheme to dupe a greedy trio of hangers-on who are after his fortune. A ragtag cast of characters, including a dwarf, a eunuch, and a hermaphrodite, get caught up in the plot along the way.

An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country, leaving his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into 'Captain Face', and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman and Dol Common, a prostitute. In The Alchemist, Jonson unashamedly satirizes the follies, vanities and vices of mankind, most notably greed-induc...

The biting satire intensifies as a group of deeply flawed individuals are pushed to their absolute breaking points, forcing them to abandon their defining obsessions. Through a series of harsh lessons and public humiliations, their rigid personalities are dramatically shattered. The narrative mercilessly exposes the folly of pride, envy, and affectation in a society obsessed with appearances. This sharp comedic critique serves as a necessary purgative for societal vices. It leaves the char...

Ben Jonson's "Epicoene; Or, The Silent Woman" is a masterful comedic work that deftly navigates themes of gender, identity, and social masquerade. Set against the backdrop of early 17th-century London, the play employs sharp wit and rich linguistic creativity to explore the tensions between appearance and reality within societal norms. Jonson'Äôs use of satire illustrates the complexities of human relationships and the roles men and women play, encapsulated in the character of Epicoene, a ...