Ben Jonson, a central figure in English Renaissance drama, is often regarded as a playwright who adhered to a more classical and structured tradition of comedy than his contemporaries, particularly William Shakespeare. His comedies reflect an adherence to formal rules, moral order, and social critique, which place him closer to the European tradition of comedy, notably the work of Molière, than to Shakespeare. Jonson’s comedies, such as Volpone (1606), The Alchemist (1610), and Bartholomew Fair (1614), are tightly structured, satirical works that emphasize character types and social behavior, often drawing inspiration from classical Roman comedy and the works of Plautus and Terence. In contrast, Shakespeare’s comedies are more expansive, embracing a wide range of emotional tones, character complexities, and the blending of various genres.
Jonson's approach to comedy is defined by his commitment to the classical unities of time, place, and action, which he inherited from the ancient Roman and Italian traditions of dramatic writing. Unlike Shakespeare, whose comedies often feature intricate plots with multiple subplots and settings, Jonson’s plays typically focus on a single narrative arc that unfolds in a confined space, often a single day or a short period of time. This sense of formal rigor and unity in Jonson’s comedies is reminiscent of Molière’s plays, which similarly focus on societal and individual behavior within a relatively limited scope.
Central to Jonsonian comedy is the concept of humour, a term Jonson borrowed from ancient medical theory, which referred to the bodily fluids believed to govern human temperament. In Jonson’s plays, characters are often exaggerated embodiments of a single vice or trait—such as greed, vanity, or hypocrisy—allowing the playwright to critique societal norms and human folly with sharp precision. This focus on stock characters and types—such as the miserly Volpone, the gullible Sir Politic Would-Be in Volpone, or the pompous Face in The Alchemist—reflects Jonson’s affinity with Molière’s characters, who similarly represent types in society rather than fully rounded, psychologically complex individuals. In this regard, Jonson’s comedy is less concerned with the psychological depth and emotional subtleties that define Shakespeare’s characters and more focused on social satire and moral judgment.
Jonson’s satirical approach is another aspect that aligns him with Molière, who, like Jonson, used comedy to expose and criticize the moral failings of his society. In plays like Volpone and The Alchemist, Jonson critiques the corruption, avarice, and deception prevalent in London’s social and political life, often through farcical scenarios and heightened comedy. Jonson’s depiction of greed, materialism, and the consequences of immoral behavior is unmistakably critical, with a clear moral vision underlying the humor. This satirical impulse is similarly evident in Molière’s comedies, such as Tartuffe and The Misanthrope, where Molière uses comedy to lampoon the hypocrisy of religious and social conventions.
However, while Jonson’s comedies are tightly structured and socially critical, they can also be seen as more artificial or intellectual than Shakespeare’s, which often possess a more organic and expansive quality. Shakespeare’s comedies, with their fluid plots, emotional range, and larger-than-life characters, allow for more ambiguity and an exploration of the complexities of human nature. Jonson, by contrast, often sought to achieve a moral order and clarity through his comedy, emphasizing the consequences of vice and the rewards of virtue, a tendency that aligns more closely with Molière’s structured critiques of society.
In conclusion, Jonson’s work in comedy belongs firmly to the European tradition, drawing heavily from classical ideals, the tradition of Roman comedy, and the moralistic satire of Molière. While Shakespeare’s comedies are more varied in tone and subject, Jonson’s plays maintain a formal, satirical structure that seeks to expose and correct social and moral faults, placing him closer to Molière in terms of both his thematic concerns and his stylistic approach.
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