Alyo, Muhammed W. (1992) Comparing men and times : the classical sources and the political significance of Ben Jonson's "Sejanus" and "Catiline" in early Jacobean and Restoration England. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the interaction between drama and
politics in Ben Jonson's two surviving tragedies, Sejanus and Catiline, during the
early years of the Jacobean and Restoration periods. Jonson relied heavily on
classical scholarship in writing his two extant tragedies, his stated reason being to
convince the readers of their "truth of Argument". But Jonson, nevertheless,
adapted his sources in an ingenious way that both suited his dramatic purposes and
served to cast light on social and political realities in the England of his own day.
For Jonson, as for many Renaissance historians, the past had meaning primarily
because of its valuable lessons for the present and the future. Thus, one of my aims
is to examine both the nature and the extent of Jonson's dependenceo n the classical
sources which provided him with the historical stories and details that he dramatized
in the two plays. SuccessiveE nglish governmentsi n the seventeenthc entury treated
drama, especially that based on historical material, as a potentially dangerous
medium for disseminating propaganda and for influencing public opinion against
specific government policies. Therefore, part of this work will be devoted to
discussing censorship regulations within early Jacobean and Restoration England,
and to examining their effects both on Jonson and on the reception of his two
tragedies. Each of the two plays is studied in the context of its historical sources in
order to determine Jonson's method of adapting his sources as well as the extent of
topicality that each play seems to provide, both on the Jacobean and the Restoration
stage. The method adopted in this study is to place the two Roman tragedies within
the contemporary setting for which they were originally intended and then within
the context of the early Restoration period when the two plays are thought to have
been revived.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Jonson, Ben, 1573?-1637. Sejanus his fall -- Criticism and interpretation, Jonson, Ben, 1573?-1637. Catiline his conspiracy -- Criticism and interpretation, Political plays, English -- History and criticism, Politics in literature
Official Date:	December 1992
Dates:	Date Event December 1992 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Institute of Education
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Mulryne, J. R. ; Shewring, Margaret
Sponsors:	Jāmiʻat Ḥalab
Extent:	2 v. (xii, 366, 193 leaves)
Language:	eng

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