Sejanus: His Fall

Ben JonsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 70K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Sejanus: His Fall by Ben JonsonAuthor: Jonson, Ben, 1573?-1637,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 1, 2004

Editor's review

This is Ben Jonson's tragedy based on the account of the Roman historian Tacitus, telling how Sejanus, the favorite of Emperor Tiberius, rose to unrivaled power and then fell abruptly. The play centers on court intrigue, flattery, and suspicion; its language is densely epigrammatic, and the dialogue is full of irony and moral warning. It is an important text for understanding the tradition of political tragedy in Renaissance England. This edition is a public-domain English e-book from Project Gutenberg, convenient for searching and citation, and suitable as a classroom supplement or a base text for close reading of the play. When reading, pay attention to the Roman historical background and Jonson's critical perspective on the corruption of power; rather than plot progression, its rhetoric and characterization deserve greater attention.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University students studying English Renaissance drama and Jonson's works
Readers interested in ancient Roman court politics and themes of power
Teachers who need a public-domain English play text for teaching or citation
Readers of classical tragedy who enjoy dialogue-dense plays driven by conversation and intrigue

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers who want a Chinese translation or detailed annotations
Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast-paced plots and vivid action scenes
Readers completely unfamiliar with ancient Roman history who are unwilling to consult reference materials

Reading tips

First read a brief introduction to the relevant account in Tacitus, then enter the play; the characters' motives will be easier to understand.
Read key scenes of Sejanus's rise and fall side by side to observe Jonson's rhetorical arrangement.
Take notes with the table of contents and dramatis personae to clarify court factions before reading the whole play.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

This is a public-domain English e-book released by Project Gutenberg; the text is in English and there is no Chinese translation. It is suitable for readers with some English reading ability or those who need to quote the original English text.

Do I need to know ancient Roman history before reading this play?

It is advisable to know at least the basic background of court politics in the Tiberian period. The play unfolds according to Tacitus's account; without any knowledge of Sejanus himself and the Roman Principate, the relationships and the course of the intrigue will be hard to follow.

Is this edition suitable for direct use as a textbook?

As a public-domain electronic text, it is convenient for searching and quoting the original, but it is not an annotated scholarly edition. For classroom teaching, it is advisable to pair it with an annotated edition or supplementary historical background materials.

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About the author

Ben Jonson Author · English · 1573–1637

Ben Jonson (1573?–1637) was an English playwright, poet, and actor of the Renaissance, born in London. In 1616 he published a collected edition of his plays on his own initiative, and in 1619 he was named Poet Laureate. He is best known for his satirical comedies, including Volpone Or, The Fox, The Alchemist, Epicoene Or, The Silent Woman, Bartholomew Fair: A Comedy, The Devil is an Ass, and Every Man in His Humour, as well as Discoveries Made Upon Men and Matter and Some Poems. Drawing largely on urban life, these works are marked by a cool, witty tone and sharp commentary on human weakness and social manners, and they exerted a lasting influence on seventeenth-century English drama. Twelve of his works are held in this collection; further biographical details are limited in publicly available sources.