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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Tom HarrisonORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Ben Jonson used a number of ‘formal choruses’ in his comedies, which he deployed to guide and chide audience opinion and reaction. Group behaviour and response are two of Jonson’s abiding interests, and consequently his plays contain even more numerous examples of informal choric groupings who watch, comment on, and judge the actions of others. This paper argues that the Collegiate ladies of Epicene are one of these informal choric groupings, and that their status and action within the play aligns them specifically to the Aristophanic chorus. I argue, however, that the ladies’ Aristophanic links are not consistent, and the comparison is one of ‘family resemblance’ rather than precise copy. Jonson’s selective approach to the Collegiates’ Aristophanic forbears offers an insight into his general approach to classical models, which served as ‘guides, not commanders’ to his own dramaturgical strategies and were effective because of their continuing relevance to the playwright’s own age.
Author(s): Harrison T
Editor(s): Bigliazzi, Silvia; Demetriou, Tania
Publication type: Book Chapter
Publication status: Published
Book Title: What Is a Greek Source on the Early English Stage? Fifteen New Essays
Year: 2024
Volume: 4
Pages: 295-333
Print publication date: 19/06/2024
Acceptance date: 19/06/2024
Series Title: Skene Texts
Publisher: Edizioni ETS
Place Published: Verona
URL: https://textsandstudies.skeneproject.it/index.php/TS/catalog/book/81
DOI: 10.13136/knnr2f44
Library holdings: Search Newcastle University Library for this item
ISBN: 9788846769589
