Ben Jonson

Guide Note

Ben Jonson was a contemporary and rival of William Shakespeare, whose satirical plays are some of his most successful and well remembered works.

His most famous plays include Volpone, The Alchemist, and The Case is Altered. The majority of his plays are comedies and can be divided into three distinct periods. His early plays have many elements in common with Shakespearean comedies. During the middle period of his career his plays have strains of moral ambiguity and rely heavily on dishonest characters. The plays of his later career focused heavily on realistic situations and local settings.

Jonson was a literary giant during the 17th century. Charles Gildon and Charles de Marguetel de Saint-Denis considered him the best English comic writer and John Dryden compared him to Virgil. His poetry has been compared to the work of Metaphysical poet John Donne. His popularity and importance waned during the Romantic era.

Fast Facts

1. Born: June 11, 1572
2. Worked as a dramatist, actor, and poet
3. Born in Westminster, London
4. Father died before he was born
5. Member of Admiral's Men Theatre
6. Converted to Catholicism while in prison
7. Awarded honorary Master of Arts degree from Oxford University
8. Some of his plays have been lost
9. There is disagreement among scholars about whether he wrote certain plays including The Widow
10. Died: August 6, 1637

Quotations

1. "Greatness of name in the father oft-times overwhelms the son; they stand too near one another. The shadow kills the growth: so much, that we see the grandchild come more and oftener to be heir of the first." — Ben Jonson
2. "I remember, the players have often mentioned it as an honour to Shakespeare, that in his writing (whatsoever he penned) he never blotted out a line. My answer hath been, would he had blotted a thousand." — Ben Jonson
3. "Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine; Or leave a kiss but in the cup, And I'll not look for wine. " — Ben Jonson