00025--Analyse and State Ben Jonson’s advocacy of classical principles and models.

               Ben Jonson was the first great classical English critic.  He was a strong advocate of classical principles and models in all branches of literature.  He advocated that the famous classical models should be kept in view by the English authors while writing their literary works in different genres.  He specially valued Aristotle’s precepts and noted them down in his ‘Discoveries’ for the guidance of English authors.  He earnestly wanted English literary works to be raised to the excellence of Greek and Latin works.  However he advised to avoid ‘excess’ in any case, excess in passion, excess of imagination, and excess of expression.  He was a staunch advocate of ‘discipline and order.’

Ben Jonson laid special emphasis on the UNITY OF ACTION in drama, epic or any type of long poem.  In this respect he lays down the following guide-lines for producing a powerful and unified ‘fable’ or ‘plot.’  He writes, “The fable is called the imitation of one entire and perfect action, whose parts are so joined and knit together, as nothing in the structure can be changed, or taken away, without impairing or troubling the whole.”  He further says that the Action should neither be too vast nor too small.  If the Action be too great, the audience wouldn’t be able to comprehend the whole, or if too small it wouldn’t give sufficient pleasure.  The action should not exceed the compass of one day and it should be one and entire.  The classical models are Homer for Epic, Virgil for Pastoral, Seneca for Tragedy, Plautus and Terence for Comedy, and Juvenal for Satire. 

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