Ben Jonson, Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue

Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Ed. by William M. Hamlin, Washington State University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1618

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Masque
Play

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

Recommended Reading

Ben Jonson's masque

Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue

was first staged before King James I in the Banqueting House of Whitehall Palace on 6 January 1618. The event marked the acting debut of Prince Charles (the future Charles I), who also served as the masque’s official sponsor. The performance famously failed to impress King James. Jonson composed the text and Inigo Jones designed the scenery and costumes.

The scenic design is dominated by an anthropomorphic Mount Atlas, made to resemble the head of a grey-haired man. The action opens with Comus, the god of festivities, entering surrounded by his supporters. This is followed by the first anti-masque, which features dancing bottles and a cask. Hercules, the demigod and hero of many ancient legends, appears and denounces the decadent

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

1006 words

Citation: Vyroubalova, Ema. "Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 May 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2762, accessed 21 November 2024.]

View recommended reading for this article

Ben Jonson, Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Save this article

Leave Feedback