Epicoene is Jonson's most daring departure from comedy's normal direction and purpose; instead of leading its characters from sorrow to joy and reaffirming the harmony of the social group, it ends in lack, loss and disharmony. The introduction discusses the play's pervading concern with sexual decorum (or lack of it) and shows how each of the play's socially disruptive characters is matched with an appropriate mode of disorderly speech, while the imagery stresses the ideas of social division and disorder.....Introduction..The author..Date and stage history..Sources..The play..Note on the text..Illustrations..Further reading..The playtext..Appendices: Early musical setting; Jonson's classical sources