Audiobooks by Ben Jonson

The Alchemist by Ben Jonson - is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally considered Jonson's best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge believed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature. The play's clever fulfilment of the classical unities and vivid depiction of human folly have made it one of the few Renaissance plays (except the works of Shakespeare) with a continuing life on stage, apart from a period of neglect during the Victorian era Synopsis An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country. He leaves his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into 'Captain Face,' and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman, and Dol Common, a prostitute. The play opens with a violent argument between Subtle and Face concerning the division of the riches which they have, and will continue to gather. Face threatens to have an engraving made of Subtle with a face worse than that of the notorious highwayman Gamaliel Ratsey. Dol breaks the pair apart and reasons with them that they must work as a team if they are to succeed. Their first customer is Dapper, a lawyer's clerk who wishes Subtle to use his supposed necromantic skills to summon a 'familiar' or spirit to help in his gambling ambitions. The tripartite suggest that Dapper may win favour with the 'Queen of Fairy,' but he must subject himself to humiliating rituals in order for her to help him. Their second gull is Drugger, a tobacconist, who is keen to establish a profitable business. After this, a wealthy nobleman, Sir Epicure Mammon, arrives, expressing the desire to gain himself the philosopher's stone, which he believes will bring him huge material and spiritual wealth. He is accompanied by Surly, a sceptic and debunker of the whole idea of alchemy. He is promised the philosopher's stone and promised that it will turn all base metal into gold. Surly however, suspects Subtle of being a thief. Mammon accidentally sees Dol and is told that she is a Lord's sister who is suffering from madness. Subtle contrives to become angry with Ananias, an Anabaptist, and demands that he should return with a more senior member of his sect (Tribulation). Drugger returns and is given false and ludicrous advice about setting up his shop; he also brings news that a rich young widow (Dame Pliant) and her brother (Kastril) have arrived in London. Both Subtle and Face in their greed and ambition seek out to win the widow. The Anabaptists return and agree to pay for goods to be transmuted into gold. These are in fact Mammon's goods. Dapper returns and is promised that he shall meet with the Queen of Fairy soon. Drugger brings Kastril who, on being told that Subtle is a skilled match-maker, rushes to fetch his sister. Drugger is given to understand that the appropriate payment might secure his marriage to the widow. Dapper is blindfolded and subjected to 'fairy' humiliations; but on the reappearance of Mammon, he is gagged and hastily thrust into the privy.

Ben Jonson (Author), Abby Pugh, Alan Mapstone, Arielle Lipshaw, Elizabeth Klett, Kevin Johnson, Nathanial Higgins, Teddy Hodge, Thomas Leigh Moore, Tricia G (Narrator)

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The Alchemist (Unabridged)

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. In the belly of London, where shadows twist and secrets fester, Face, a cunning rogue with a wink and a jest, sees opportunity in his master's absence. He transforms the grand house into a den of trickery, a playground for the desperate and the gullible. With his motley crew - the flamboyant Subtle, a master of illusions, and the sly Dol Common, a woman of many guises - Face concocts schemes to exploit the yearnings of the foolish and the greedy. Love potions simmer, fortunes are foretold, and the promise of gold turns men mad. But as their web of deceit grows, whispers of truth begin to slither through the city, threatening to expose their elaborate masquerade. Will Face and his partners escape with their pockets lined and their freedom intact? Or will their fantastical alchemy of lies crumble under the weight of truth? Dive into Ben Jonson's 'The Alchemist,' a whirlwind comedy where laughter and deceit dance a captivating jig.

Ben Jonson (Author), Digital Voice Marcus G (Narrator)

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The Alchemist

An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country, leaving his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into 'Captain Face', and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman and Dol Common, a prostitute. In The Alchemist, Jonson unashamedly satirizes the follies, vanities and vices of mankind, most notably greed-induced credulity. People of all social classes are subject to Jonson's ruthless, satirical wit. He mocks human weakness and gullibility to advertising and to 'miracle cures' with the character of Sir Epicure Mammon, who dreams of drinking the elixir of youth and enjoying fantastic sexual conquests. The Alchemist focuses on what happens when one human being seeks advantage over another. In a big city like London, this process of advantage-seeking is rife. The trio of con-artists - Subtle, Face and Dol - are self-deluding small-timers, ultimately undone by the same human weaknesses they exploit in their victims. Produced by Macc Kay Production executive Avalon Giuliano ICON Intern Eden Garret Giuliano ©2021 Eden Garret Giuliano (P) 2021 Eden Garret Giuliano Geoffrey Giuliano is the author of over thirty internationally bestselling biographies, including the London Sunday Times bestseller 'Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney' and 'Dark Horse: The Private Life of George Harrison'. Dasa can be heard on the Westwood One Radio Network and has written and produced over seven hundred original spoken-word albums and video documentaries on various aspects of popular culture. He is also a well-known movie actor.

Ben Jonson (Author), Geoffrey Giuliano And The Geo Pyramid Players (Narrator)

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15 Minutes Of Love Poems - Volume 6

Love. What is love?The question is asked by each of us but the answer remains elusive. Dictionaries summon up many words but none fulfill. Love itself is often ethereal, felt but only seen in a glance, a look, a fleeting touch. Part of Love’s beauty is perhaps in the fact that the question never can be adequately answered; its ephemeral, a chimera of the heart and only felt. Our own experiences are unique and personal to ourselves and of little help defining it for another.Love is perhaps best expressed through poetry. As Plato said 2500 years ago “At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet”. Writing a love poem for ones’ partner is seen as the most romantic of gestures. It opens our hearts to another's. Lovers love.Here, in this volume history’s greatest poets convey thoughts, feelings and sentiments of love to you in quick (or bite-size) conversations of verse that can slip into your day and your partner's heart.

Ben Jonson, Edward Lear, Ralph Waldo Emerson (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Poetry of the 17th Century - Volume 2

The Elizabethan age had almost departed and the world had seen the rise of great European empires that continued to hunt with mischief between themselves as they traversed the globe in search of more spoils and territories. In England the Civil War had brought about the Will of Parliament and the replacement of the Crown as the governing body. But with these Puritan times, and the subsequent Restoration, Poetry had entered a golden age. John Milton, John Dryden, Ben Jonson are but a few of the luminaries whose great verse followed in the wake of the immortal William Shakespeare.

Ben Jonson, John Milton, Robert Herrick (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Gideon Wagner, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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William Shakespeare - A Tribute in Verse

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford upon Avon in late April 1565 and baptized there on 26th April. He was one of eight children. Little is known about his life but what is evident is the enormous contribution he has made to World Literature. His writing was progressive, magnificent in scope and breathtaking in execution. His plays and sonnets helped enable the English language to speak with a voice unmatched by any other.William Shakespeare died on the 23rd April 1616, survived by his wife and two daughters. He was buried two days after his death in the chancel of the Holy Trinity church.Poets rarely praise another of their kind but Shakespeare deserved all their praise – and more. And our poets down the centuries have been lavish and fulsome with him. Or to paraphrase the great Bard himself:—‘If words shall be the food of love, read on….’

Ben Jonson, John Milton, Matthew Arnold (Author), Ghizlea Rowe, Gideon Wagner, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Poetry Hour - Volume 13

Poetry is often cited as our greatest use of words. The English language has well over a million of them and poets down the ages seem, at times, to make use of every single one. But often they use them in simple ways to describe anything and everything from landscapes to all aspects of the human condition. Poems can evoke within us an individual response that takes us by surprise; that opens our ears and eyes to very personal feelings.Forget the idea of classic poetry being somehow dull and boring and best kept to children’s textbooks. It still has life, vibrancy and relevance to our lives today. Where to start? How to do that? Poetry can be difficult. We’ve put together some very eclectic Poetry Hours, with a broad range of poets and themes, to entice you and seduce you with all manner of temptations. In this hour we introduce poets of the quality and breadth of Ben Jonson and Jalalludin Rumi as well as themes on The Female Poet, Hell, Victorian Poetry and more.All of them are from Portable Poetry, a dedicated poetry publisher. We believe that poetry should be a part of our everyday lives, uplifting the soul & reaching the parts that other arts can’t. Our range of audiobooks and ebooks cover volumes on some of our greatest poets to anthologies of seasons, months, places and a wide range of themes. Portable Poetry can found at iTunes, Audible, the digital music section on Amazon and most other digital stores. This audio book is also duplicated in print as an ebook. Same title. Same words. Perhaps a different experience. But with Amazon’s whispersync you can pick up and put down on any device – start on audio, continue in print and any which way after that. Portable poetry – Let us join you for the journey.The Poetry Hour – Volume 13 - An IntroductionBen Jonson - An IntroductionA Celebration of Charis – IV – Her Triumph by Ben JonsonEpigram LXV – To My Muse by Ben Jonson The Masque of Christmas by Ben JonsonTo the Memory of My Beloved Master William Shakespeare and What He Hath Left Us by Ben JonsonThe Poetry of Hell – An IntroductionInferno by Dante. Canto 3.An Introduction to Jaluluddin RumiThe Oilman and his Parrot by RumiThe Jealously of God by RumiThe Flame of Love by RumiThe Female Poet – An Introduction - Volume 1Nearer My God To Thee by Sarah Flower Adams The Willing Mistress by Aphra Behn Winter by Anne Bradstreet Fluctuations by Anne Bronte Pleasure by Charlotte Bronte Victorian Poetry - An IntroductionA Farewell to Youth by Alfred Austin How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning The Rolling English Road by GK Chesterton Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll Among the Rocks by Robert Browning The Wheel by William Butler Yeats Idlers Calendar – Twelve Sonnets for the months – June by Wilfred Scawen Blunt January Sonnet LIX. Written at Ampton, Suffolk. January 1838 by Henry AlfordAt the Entering of the New Year by Thomas HardyThe First Snowfall by James Russell LowellIt is Winter by Daniel SheehanPray, to What Earth Does This Sweet Cold Belong by Henry David ThoreauJanuary by Alice Cary

Ben Jonson, Jalaluddin Rumi, Lewis Carroll (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Gideon Wagner, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Devil is an Ass

The play opens in Hell, with Satan and an inferior devil called Pug. Pug wants to be sent to Earth to do the Devil's work of tempting men to evil - but Satan thinks he isn't up to the job; the world has grown so sophisticated in its vices, especially in the moral cesspool of London, that a simple devil like Pug will be severely out of his depth. Pug pleads his case, however, and Satan sends him into the world, specifically to plague an eccentric and foolish gentleman named Fabian Fitzdottrel.

Ben Jonson (Author), Elizabeth Martinson (Narrator)

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The Poetry of Ben Jonson

Benjamin "Ben" Jonson was born in June, 1572. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays; Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, and his equally accomplished lyric poems. A man of vast reading and a seemingly insatiable appetite for controversy, including time in jail and a penchant for switching faiths, Jonson had an unparalleled breadth of influence on Jacobean and Caroline playwrights and poets.In 1616 Jonson was appointed by King James I to receive a yearly pension of £60 to become what is now recognised as the post of the first official Poet Laureate. He died on the 6th of August, 1637 at Westminster and is buried in the north aisle of the nave at Westminster Abbey.A master of both playwriting and poetry his reputation continues to endure and reach a new audience with each succeeding generation. This volume comes to you from Portable Poetry, a specialized imprint from Deadtree Publishing. Our range is large and growing and covers single poets, themes, and many compilations.

Ben Jonson (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Gideon Wagner, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Cavalier Poets

Whilst this given name and the poets included can seem at first glance broad and unmanageable the name both historically and artistically is a near perfect fit. Those poets that pledged support to Charles I, a connoisseur and patron of fine arts, were in the main courtiers or closely aligned. Among their number were Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Thomas Carew and Sir John Suckling.These poets shied away from verse on religion or philosophy but mused instead on love, joy and simpler things very much living for the 'now'. And their verse achieves this with a beauty and potency that, despite their powerful and privileged position, speaks for us all. This volume comes to you from Portable Poetry, a specialized imprint from Deadtree Publishing. Our range is large and growing and covers single poets, themes, and many compilations.

Ben Jonson, Edmund Waller, Richard Lovelace (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Richard Mitchley, Tim Graham (Narrator)

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The Poet Laureates - Volume 1

The office of Poet Laureate is a high honour amongst poets. The Ancient Greeks had the first idea and their heroes and Poets wore wreaths of Laurel in honour of the god Apollo. Many countries now have a Laureate as do many societies and organisations. But perhaps ranked first among them all is that of our own Poet Laureate. Unfortunately no single authentic definitive record exists of the office of Poet Laureate of England. In some form it can be traced back to 1189 and Richard Canonicus who was employed by Richard I with the title "versificator Regis". It is said that Geoffrey Chaucer was called Poet Laureate, being granted in 1389 an annual allowance of wine. After that there were a succession of 'volunteer Laureates'. It is not until 1617 that King James I created the post as it is known today for Ben Jonson, although it appears not to have been a formal appointment. That formality:- The title of Poet Laureate, as a royal office, was first conferred by letters patent on John Dryden in 1670 And from there we have procession of outstanding poets among them William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Alfred Austin. Among our readers are Richard Mitchley and Ghizela Rowe.

Ben Jonson, Edmund Spenser, John Skelton (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Renaissance Poets - Volume 1

For our Renaissance Poets we start with the coming to the throne of Henry 8th in 1519. From then until its end, with the crumbling of the English Republic under Cromwell, in 1659 these poets capture a time when the World as they knew it then underwent tumultuous change. Within their ranks were Spenser, Donne, Milton, Shakespeare, Sidney, Jonson, Marvell, Drayton. It is a list rich and sumptuous, long and gloried. In these volumes we bring all these poets and others together to illustrate this poetical canon.

Ben Jonson, Edmund Spenser, John Skelton (Author), Alex Jennings, David Shaw-Parker, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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