Epicoene or The Silent Woman

Ben Jonson's Epicoene, or The Silent Woman, was first staged in late 1609, or early 1610. Epicoene is difficult to characterize. It is essentially a comedy with an element of sexual wit, and yet it has a surprise ending, one that is markedly non-comedic and leaves a bitter taste. Despite the sharp ending, the surprising twist in the final scene is critical to Jonson's play and I strongly suggest you avoid any discussion of the plot until after your first reading of Epicoene. In general, I had less empathy for the upper class characters in Epicoene than I did for Jonson's lower class, bawdy rogues that populate The Alchemist and Bartholomew's Fair. The characters in Epicoene are not terribly disagreeable; they are largely dilettantes that have little concern for morality or ethics. For example, the character Truewit, speaking of some promiscuous ladies who live apart from their husbands, says: "Why, all their actions are governed by crude opinion, without reason or cause; they know not why they do anything; but as they are informed, believe, judge, praise, condemn, love, hate, and in emulation of one another, do all these things alike." I had difficulty understanding the intent of some dialogue on my first reading. My second reading was much easier, perhaps helped a bit by my now knowing the unexpected ending. Epicoene was staged frequently for nearly 150 years, but its popularity declined after about 1750. Apparently, performances in 1752 and 1776 and 1784 were unsuccessful, and it did not reappear until 1895. There were few performances in twentieth century. I recommend the New Mermaids edition (ISBN 0393900401) edited by Roger Holdsworth; there have been multiple printings and it should not be difficult to find a copy. The footnotes are quite helpful. The introduction is lengthy, almost 50 pages. There is also an appendix containing the play's music and some of Jonson's classical sources. Another source: Epicoene is often included in collections of Ben Jonson's plays, like the inexpensive World Classics edition published by Oxford University Press. Epicoene or Epicene? Both versions are found. And Jonson's play also goes by the title, The Silent Woman. Good luck in your title searches

All are to be found in "Epicoene," an extremely funny if slightly dark Ben Jonson play. I don't want to give much of a summary because I don't want to reveal any plot twists, but it begins with the common Renaissance theme of men looking for wives . . . and chaos ensues. I am very fond of the New Mermaids edition because it includes very interesting and relevant information about original staging and such. This play is a good starting place for non-Jonson fans; this edition is a good one for Jonson scholars. Reccomended.