Jonson's Copy of Seneca

Authors

Robert C. Evans, Auburn University at Montgomery

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:

Ben Jonson has been called "one of the most Senecan of English writers in style and often in temper,"¹ and his numerous allusions to Seneca's writings certainly confirm this claim. The standard edition of Jonson's works records scores of echoes from passages in Seneca.² The English poet had obviously read and appreciated many writings by the Roman moralist in a wide variety of genres, including plays, epistles, and essays. In fact, even the motto Jonson usually inscribed in copies of books he owned - "tanquam explorator" - derives from an epistle by Seneca.³ Thus the very motives that guided Jonson's reading were informed by Senecan example. We know that Jonson had access to Seneca's dramatic works in a comprehensive anthology devotes to classical Latin poets, and he probably also read Seneca's works in other collections presently lost or unknown.⁴ Surprisingly, however, his ownership of a volume devoted exclusively to Seneca's writings is not reported in any of the standard descriptions of his library.

Recommended Citation

Evans, Robert C. (1991) "Jonson's Copy of Seneca," Comparative Drama: Vol. 25: Iss. 3, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol25/iss3/3