Epicoene; Or, The Silent Woman

"Epicoene; Or, The Silent Woman" by Ben Jonson is a comedic play written during the early 17th century. The overarching theme revolves around Morose, a gentleman who strives to surround himself with silence and simplicity, leading him to seek a wife who is mute, believing that this would provide him peace. The play deftly explores societal norms and character interactions, primarily focusing on Morose and those surrounding him, including his rambunctious nephew and the humorous challenges they face. At the start of the play, we meet Morose, who is deeply concerned with maintaining silence in his life and engages a barber named Cutbeard to help him find a quiet bride. He is depicted as quite paranoid about noise, stressing the lengths he goes to avoid it, including employing a mute servant. Meanwhile, his nephew, Sir Dauphine, and his friends discuss Morose's unusual desire for a silent wife, setting up a comedic scenario filled with misunderstandings and witty exchanges. The opening establishes the characters and their intentions, foreshadowing the humorous yet chaotic unfolding of events that challenge Morose's peculiar aspirations. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Benjamin Jonson was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satirical plays Every Man in His Humour (1598), Volpone, or The Fox, The Alchemist (1610) and Bartholomew Fair (1614) and for his lyric and epigrammatic poetry. He is regarded as "the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James I."