Concetti Chiave
- Ben Johnson was a prominent dramatist of the Renaissance period, second only to Shakespeare.
- Born in London in 1572, he studied at Westminster and became an influential Elizabethan scholar.
- Johnson served in the army at the age of twenty-five before returning to London to pursue acting and writing.
- He was renowned for his satirical comedies, which combined education and entertainment by mocking human vices.
- Johnson's plays followed a classic four-fold structure: prologue, character introduction, story development, and final catastrophe.
What was Ben Johnson's early life like?
Ben Johnson was probably the most important dramatist of his age, the Renaissance pediod, after Shakespeare. He was born in London in 1572. He studied at Westminster and became an eminent Elizabethan scholar. When he was twenty-five he served in the army and went to war in Flanders. Once back to London he became an actor and an independent writer. He became a great neoclassical poet and an important dramatist. He was the most famous author of the masque (a form of entertainment combining music, dancing and singing with rich and costly sceneries and costumes) and the creator of the first English satirical comedies. The comedies were the way through which Johnson tried to educate and entertain his audience at the same time. In fact, the satire was an educational method that made joke of the faults of men, making fun out of their vices and follies. His characters were symbols of human typical features and characteristics and the comic effect was generated by adding one accident happing to these characters after the other.
Structure of Johnson's plays
The structure of his plays was classic and used a four-fold structure: prologue, introduction of the characters and situation (act 1), development of the story-line to the catastrophe (acts 2 to 4), complications and final catastrophe (act 5).
Domande da interrogazione
- What was Ben Johnson's contribution to English drama during the Renaissance period?
- How did Ben Johnson's early experiences influence his career in drama and literature?
- What was the typical structure of Ben Johnson's plays, and how did it contribute to their comedic effect?
Ben Johnson was a pivotal figure in English drama during the Renaissance, second only to Shakespeare. He was renowned for his neoclassical poetry and as a dramatist, particularly for creating the first English satirical comedies and being the most famous author of the masque.
Ben Johnson's early life included studying at Westminster and serving in the army in Flanders, which likely enriched his perspectives. Upon returning to London, he became an actor and independent writer, eventually becoming a significant dramatist and poet, using satire to educate and entertain.
Johnson's plays followed a classic four-fold structure: a prologue, introduction of characters and situation (act 1), development to the catastrophe (acts 2 to 4), and complications leading to the final catastrophe (act 5). This structure allowed for a comedic effect by layering accidents and follies upon his symbolic characters.
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