Project Gutenberg 2004-02-01 Public domain in the USA. 199 Jonson, Ben 1637 Johnson, Ben Jonson, Benjamin Ionson, Ben The Poetaster Reading ease score: 74.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. Produced by Amy E. Zelmer, Sue Asscher, Robert Prince, and David Widger "The Poetaster" by Ben Jonson is a comedic play written during the early 17th century. The work satirically addresses the world of poets and playwrights, featuring figures like Ovid and several contemporary characters in a humorous examination of literary aspirations, rivalries, and the nature of art itself. The story unfolds within the setting of Rome, where Jonson's character critiques the pretensions and failings of fellow poets and dramatists, particularly targeting the playwright John Marston. At the start of "The Poetaster," we are introduced to themes of envy and artistic ambition through the character of Envy, who expresses disdain for the artistic community. The Prologue, depicted as an armed figure, reflects Jonson's defensive stance against criticism and set the tone for a battle against detractors. As we meet Ovid, he is caught between the expectations of his father, who wants him to pursue law, and his passion for poetry. The opening establishes a backdrop of comedic tension as various characters engage in witty exchanges, highlighting the absurdity of their literary pursuits and the societal pressures they face. This sets the stage for a nuanced critique of artistic integrity and shows the increasingly troublesome interactions between poets within Jonson's vibrant and satirical depiction of Roman society. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Satire Comedies Poets -- Drama Rome -- History -- Augustus, 30 B.C.-14 A.D. -- Drama PR Text Browsing: Humour Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 354095 354096 2024-10-03T04:13:59.727013 2023-10-03T04:43:04.998523 text/html text/html 342676 2013-01-25T15:51:00 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 134992 2013-01-25T15:51:00 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 195292 2024-10-03T04:14:09.228926 application/epub+zip 205036 2024-10-03T04:14:01.592183 application/epub+zip 205036 2024-10-03T04:14:00.421946 application/epub+zip 309459 2024-10-03T04:14:12.327953 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 343548 2024-10-03T04:14:08.545961 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 316556 2022-09-03T06:12:54.708927 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 341558 341504 2024-10-03T04:13:59.380963 2023-10-03T04:43:04.755549 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 341454 2009-05-31T06:29:28 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 134055 2009-05-31T06:30:40 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 341445 2009-05-31T06:29:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 134039 2009-05-31T06:30:40 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 22240 2024-10-03T04:14:12.456871 application/rdf+xml 8874 2024-10-03T04:14:00.954023 image/jpeg 2666 2024-10-03T04:14:00.687935 image/jpeg 191492 2024-10-03T04:13:59.758000 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia