Poetic analysis of Ben Jonson Essay Example For Students

Poetic analysis of Ben Jonson Essay He lived a violent life at times and had a few run-ins with the law. By all appearances it may have seem he was a brutish rogue but underneath It all he had the heart of a romantic. Ben Johnson wrote many lyrical poems and he was keenly adept at illustrating and portraying contemporary people. The poems, Song: To Celia and Song: Still to Be Neat are both written about a particular women. The theme or central Idea of the first poem Is about all consuming love that he had for the person Celia. Throughout this memo his praise of her is so extreme that she takes on an unearthly quality. The line which clearly expresses the authors attitude are lines 7-8:out might I of Coves nectar sup, I would not change for telnet. He declares the only thing that his soul needs Is her love, which Is divine and all-encompassing. In contrast, his theme In the second poem, is one of chastisement on vain women. He declares that he prefers a natural and simple woman in lines 7-8:Give me a look, give me a face, that makes simplicity a grace. His central Idea suggests that women who hide their natural tatty behind powder and perfume are superficial and unable to move a mans heart. In many of his poems he critically addresses the facades that people put up for others. This author wanted to be a professional writer and earn a Miming with his writing. He depended on the nobility for his livelihood and although he himself was not a gentleness, he was supported by them. He had a down to earth way of reaching the soul of a man and exposing hypocrisies of life. The author uses imagery in both poems to make a connection between fragrances and the women. In the Song: To Celia, her fragrance is natural and appealing. With the lines 15-16: Since when it grows and smells, I swear, not of itself but thee, he states that her fragrance is stronger and sweeter than even the roses. On the other hand, in Song: Still to Be Neat, he condemns a woman who wears a perfume that covers up her natural scent as In line 6: All Is not sound, all Is not sweet. Additionally, he uses personification In the first poem in line 1: Drink to me only with thing eyes, which gives the eyes the capability to drink. Comparatively, in the second poem the author feels like the womans makeup covers her real beauty or art and that doesnt attract him. In the lines 11-12: Than all the adulteries of art, They strike mine eyes, but not my heart. he gives the qualities of striking, to the adultery of art. He wrote many short poems and odes that were easily set to music, about all walks of life and most were During the time when Ben Johnson lived in England the classes of people were clearly divided. He used the standards and morals of the time to poke fun at man and his insecurities with short lyrical poetry. The poem, Song: To Celia, is lyrical poetry because Ben Johnson expresses a deep emotional love and like many of his poems, its rhyme can be put to song. It has sixteen lines, with a rhyme scheme of ABACA, (first stanza), DEFENDED, (second stanza). The other poem, Song: Still to Be Neat, is an allegory because it contains abstract concepts concerning beauty and art. The underlying moral of this poem is that the beauty of a woman is more than skin deep. It has a total of twelve lines and the pattern different from the other poem. .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e , .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .postImageUrl , .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e , .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e:hover , .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e:visited , .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e:active { border:0!important; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e:active , .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf3ae49cfe29b81bec6bdb627a9839f4e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Compare Presents From My Aunts in Pakistan with one other poem EssayIts rhyme chem. is BACK, (first stanza), DEFER, (second stanza)l; the pairs of letters representing rhyming lines with identical meter. Ben Johnson was a simple man who lived at a time when everyone, even men, wore frills and put on artificial acts to impress others. He had the knack of breaking through the veneer to get to the core of the person he wrote about. No one was spared his astute observations because he even wrote satirical pieces about his friends and himself. He could poke fun at his good friend, Shakespeare, and get away with it. He had a rough life physically and emotionally as well. Although much is not known about his wife, it is a fact that both of his children lived for only a short time. The emotional lose of the people he loved may have given him the gift to get past all deceit in life and understand what really mattered. At the time of his writings the popular writers leaned more toward intellectual subjects, like theology and history. Their works were considered serious while his light, but he soon changed the minds of the critics. With short and direct verses he made the literary world understand that poems can be serious works of art.