Episode 203:

We now stay in the world of the Elizabethan interpretation of classical history and myth with Ben Jonson’s next play ‘Sejanus His Fall’. Rooted more firmly in history than myth Jonson’s play uses the story of a power struggle motivated by personal ambition to look at the nature of power, justice and politics. This was quite evidently dangerous ground for a playwright already known for his clashes with the authorities, but it was not just that commentary of contemporary politics that got Jonson into trouble with this play.

A brief word on the unfinished tragedy ‘Mortimer His Fall’

The ‘argument’ of the play and some thoughts on what the play might have been

The early performance history of ‘Sejanus His Fall’

The possible co-author of the play

The early reception of the play

The background to the poor reception of the play

A synopsis of the play

The ban on satires and histories

The translations of Tacitus and complications with Essex

How John Heyward’s problems with censorship influence the play

The play as a commentary on Elizabethan society

Questions of the control of power in the play

Questions of the application of justice in the play

The motivations of Sejanus

The aesthetic issues with the play

How Jonson mixed comedy and tragedy in the play

The influence of Marlowe on the verse in the play

Jonson censured for the play

The later performance history of the play

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