The Dramatist and His Age: Ben Jonson and His Comedies

Abstract

The relevance of drama and the dramatist to society is an ever-recurring issue. The dramatist's assignment of rebuking his society be it liberal or revolutionary society, is to reform it and make it literally whole again. This is an enduring social function. The societal function of the dramatist is dictated by the social world, just as his consciousness is also moulded by it. His obligation is to awaken men to the ethical and humanistic values of life with the intention of reforming or revolutionizing it. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the picture of some outstanding phases of the contemporary life of Ben Jonson and to estimate their values as a contribution to the knowledge and understanding of his time; such subjects like the influence of the Court and the inter-relationship of classes, the problem of dramatic arts and the taste of theatre-goers, the methods and aims of contemporary scholarship, the character and significance of everyday life. The work looks at the colour and atmosphere of London at one of its fascinating moments and Jonson's contributions towards sanitizing the decadent society through his comedies.