Epicoene
Or the Silent Woman (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Epicoene: Or the Silent Woman<br><br>Within the last decade editions of Ben Jonson - single plays and groups of plays - have multiplied with significant rapidity. Epicne, as the most popular comedy of the great Elizabethan, should not be the last to be accorded the dignity of a separate volume. Contemporary popularity may not indicate the presence of lasting qualities of art. Epicne however, of all Ben Jonson's dramas, was not only listened to with most pleasure in its author's day but it held the stage longest, and is now best known to the general reader. Such popularity must spring from positive artistic merits. Epicne does not stand first in intellectual grasp or moral greatness; its satire has the tone of ridicule rather than moral indignation. But its intrigue is the finest Jonson ever contrived; it contains some of the most inimitable of his comic characters, and at least one of the best situations any comedy affords; it reflects with due subordination to plot the manners of its age, and merits thereby the distinction of being the first comedy of manners in English; it is of perennially comic force, infinite in wit, and pervaded by a spirit more nearly gay than any other work of its author. In addition to these excellences, and in part because of them, Epicne is to-day the most actable stage-piece from Jonson's pen.<br><br>This comedy is in no sense difficult to read and enjoy, but thorough study discloses in it depth and meaning which serious students seldom recognize, and casual readers entirely overlook.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.