Misogynistic Language in the Comedies of Ben Jonson: Jonson's Social Commentary on a Degenerating London

<p>Ben Jonson's comedies seem to present an almost entirely negative view of women; the plays are full of misogynistic language and their portrayal of women looks bleak. The good women in his comedies, such as Celia in <em>Volpone</em> or Dame Pliant in <em>The Alchemist</em>, are passive, weak characters who subject themselves to the rule of men, while the opinionated, strong women are either objects for ridicule like the Collegiates in <em>Epicoene</em> or are destined for death like Agrippina in <em>Sejanus</em>. While characters such as these raise questions concerning Jonson's attitude towards women there is still little research or criticism available concerning Jonson's views on women and his portrayal ofwomen in his comedies. By delving into Jonson's portrayal of women as grotesque, his apparent attacks on the character and nature of women, and his portrayal of women as masculine in his urban comedies¹ <em>Epicoene</em>; or <em>The Silent Woman</em> (1609), <em>Everyman in his Humour</em> (1601), <em>Volpone</em>; or <em>The Fox</em> (1605), <em>The Alchemist</em> (1610), and his city tragedy <em>Sejanus</em> (1603), I propose to explore the ways in which readers may argue Jonson is indeed a misogynist; I will also analyze the economic and social impact of these misogynistic passages to demonstrate Jonson's purpose behind them. Jonson's purpose, I shall argue, is not to malign women with his comedy; rather he comments on the general morality of society. Jonson demonstrates, through his portrayal of his characters, the artificiality and consumerism apparent in London society. Hence, Jonson is not promoting the hatred of women; rather he is making a social commentary on his perception of a degenerating London. Furthermore, I propose that Jonson cannot so easily be labeled a misogynist because, through his depiction of the Fools in his plays and through his negative representation of his amoral witty male heroes, Jonson criticizes men and women alike.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Literature and Philosophy

Year dc:date.available

2004

Author dc:creator

• Todd, Jessica Adrienne

Contributors dc:contributor

• Caren J. Town
• Candy B. K. Schille

• ETD
• Ben Jonson
• Comedies
• Good women
• Celia
• Dame Pliant
• Volpone
• The Alchemist
• English Language and Literature

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/1083

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd_legacy-1733