Comparison of Job to MacLeish's JB and Frost's Masque of Reason

Suffering is a major concept present in the stories of J.B., “The Book of Job”, and “A Masque of Reason”. J.B. and “A Masque of Reason” are based on the original biblical tale of Job, a righteous man who is made to suffer by God. However, “The Book of Job” and these two modern interpretations by MacLeish and Frost, use the original story but take very different twists and viewpoints in their development and focus on the concept of suffering.
The characters of Job and J.B. are similar in that they both have not experienced the pain, loss, and sadness, which comprises suffering, while the Job of “A Masque of Reason” is a Job after his painful experience and restoration by God. Frost named his post-suffering scene “Chapter Forty-Three of The Book of Job”. J.B is introduced to us as “a vigorous man in his middle to late thirties,” whom is obviously enjoying a luxurious life-style as set forth in the description of the “maids parade” bringing in fine ...