Episode 178:
Ben Jonson's humours play 'Every Man in His Humour' was a big success and Jonson chose to name his next comedy in a very similar way, just substituting ‘in’ for ‘out’, no doubt to capitalise on the success of the earlier play by letting the public know that this was going to be a play in a very similar vein, and although there are no points where the plots or characters cross over during the plays the humour and satire are similar. However, there are also some significant differences between the two plays with the latter offering being more complex structurally and even less reliant on a plot that it’s predecessor.
The early performance history of the play and it’s reception
The dating of the play
The early print history of the play
The amendments in the first folio version
A Synopsis of the plot
The framing device
Macalente the malcontent
Carlo Buffone and the drinking game
Sogliardo the stooge
Delerio and Falace
Fastidious Brisk, his wardrobe and Fungoso
The strange inclusion of Sordidio, the miserly farmer
Puntovolo, his wife, his dog and his cat
The fate of Puntovolo’s dog
The language style of the play
The Italian setting of the play
The war of the theatres
Why was the play less successful than it’s predecessor?
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