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Essay about Ben Johnson and William Shakespeare

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The richest treasure a man can possess cannot be found in coffers of gold or in the powers that rule but in the value of a true friend. A friend is a person who knows your weaknesses and despite them still finds joy in your company. A friend can also serve as a muse that inspires a person to greater heights. Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare had an enduring friendship that was intertwined with threads of rivalry (Ben Jonson). These men shared a common love of writing and both would impact the literary world in different ways. Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare had different experiences in life, styles of writing but both would leave a lasting mark on the literary world. Ben Jonson's life was filled with tragic events. The death of his …show more content…

However, there are the basics. William Shakespeare was born into what many would consider a middle class family. However, in the sixteenth century there was no middle class. His father was a glove maker and a local merchant. It is believed that Shakespeare attended Stratford Grammar School and learned the standard equivalent to a grammar and high school education. However, he did not attend college, but in his twenties he would become an actor. A short time later, he would branch out into the dual role of actor and playwright. He was not like many of his fellow writers; he would make a successful living as an actor and playwright. He was respected among his peers and his plays were popular with the people (Brief). However, Queen Elizabeth would only see a few of Shakespeare's plays because most of his plays were written after her death (Queen). William Shakespeare was the master of figurative language and complex characters (book). His writings are timeless and have endured for centuries because they endear the audience to the human experience. Ben Jonson's literary style was influenced by the Greek and Roman classics (Mulryan). He had a distinctive style that was potent and candid. He preferred realism to the standard Elizabethan romantic plays that he considered flighty and fanciful. He was the master of satire (Baskerville). His characters in his plays were generally flat (dominating characteristic) and represented the

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