Benjamin Jonson was a memorable Renaissance poet, literary critic, and playwright whose popularity competed with the genius of Shakespeare and Marlowe. He was known as the pioneer of the comedy of humor and played a significant role in the development of stage comedy.
The master of poetry and satire was born nine years after the birth of Shakespeare and died twenty years after his demise. During these last twenty years, he supported the declining state of drama that was enjoying its heights in the Elizabethan era.
Johnson was educated in classical studies and was a learned and domineering figure in real life and literary career. He was a highly controversial man in personal, political, and artistic life. Also, he spent a certain period of life in prison. Likewise, he influenced through his writing the Queen of England and was honored to be the first unofficial poet laureate of England.
He also influenced the poets of the Jacobean era (1603-1625) and the Caroline era (1625-1642) through his poetical genius. The well-known satirical plays of Ben Jonson are “The Alchemist”, “Every Man in His Humour”, “Volpone” and “Bartholomew Fair”.
A Short Biography of Ben Jonson
On 11 June 1572, Ben Jonson was born in London, England, to a relatively poor family. His father, who suffered the wrath of Queen Mary by losing his property, was made a clergyman after his release from prison. However, he died two months before Jonson’s birth. Two years later, his mother married a master bricklayer.
Ben Jonson was admitted to a school in St. Martin’s Lane. Luckily, he later joined Westminster School with the support of a family friend. There he got the great scholar, historian, and topographer, William Camden as his teacher. Camden intellectually influenced Jonson’s literary career to a considerable extent until he died in 1623.
When Jonson left Westminster, he was to enroll at Cambridge University. However, he was not able to continue his studies and eventually joined his stepfather’s profession as a bricklayer, reluctantly. His literary genius only flourished under the influence of Camden to whom Jonson owed his writing career. He also developed an interest in classics like Horace during this time.
After his apprenticeship, Jonson went to the Netherlands and joined the English military sector in Flanders. Then he returned to England to work as a playwright and actor. He performed the protagonist ‘Hieronimo’ in “The Spanish Tragedy” (1586) which was the first English tragedy. He probably married Ann Lewis in 1594 but his wife remained an obscure figure in history.
Ben Jonson’s Literary Career
Actor and Playwright
Ben Jonson began working as a professional dramatist after his return to England. By 1587, he took the job of a playwright for Philip Henslowe. He was also an actor for the Admiral’s Men. There he performed under the management of Philip Henslowe.
Imprisonment
His earliest surviving comedy is “The Case is Altered” which remains undated. He wrote “The Isle of Dogs” with the collaboration of Thomas Nashe in 1597. However, it was banned by the Queen for its offensive story and the writers were imprisoned.
Later, he was again imprisoned for killing his colleague, Gabriel Spencer, in a fight in 1598. From this charge, he narrowly escaped death. It was the time when he produced a masterpiece in English drama, “Every Man in His Humour” in 1598. This established Jonson as a major dramatist of his time.
He also wrote “Every Man out of His Humour” in 1599 which was an imitation of Aristophanes. However, it did not prove to be successful, although the story was widely popularized in his days. In the last times of Elizabeth-I’s rule, most of Jonson’s works are based on controversies and duels.
War of the Theatres
In 1600, Jonson’s “Cynthia’s Revels” was composed, which was performed at Blackfriars Theatre by Children of the Chapel. It was a sharp satire on Thomas Dekker and John Marston. These two writers also backfired with critical plays against Jonson. However, War of the Theatres ended soon within the following years by a reconciliation of the writers.
Masques for the Monarch
In 1603, James VI was enthroned and Jonson joined others to welcome his reign. He wrote numerous masques for the king. These works included “The Masque of Blackness” in 1605 and “The Satyr” (1603). This mode of writing career earned him more prestige but less financial gains. His new literary role kept him away from the public theatre writing for almost a decade but earned him less than 200 pounds according to Jonson himself.
When Jonson was given a yearly pension in 1616, some writers called him the first Poet Laureate of England. Due to this honor, he gained a popular status and published the first folio of his works. Later, other folios followed in 1640, 1641, and 1692.
During 1606-1620, Jonson produced the major part of his works for which he is remembered as a notable writer. These works included “Volpone” (1605), “Catiline” in 1611 (a tragedy), “The Alchemist” in 1610, and “The Bartholomew Fair” (1614).
Literary Decline
Although after 1620, Jonson’s reputation declined, he nevertheless remained an acclaimed poet and writer. Furthermore, other younger poets emerged who adopted the style of Ben Jonson and were called ‘Tribe of Ben’. These poets were Richard Lovelace, Robert Herrick, and Sir John Suckling.
Despite his former reputation, his new plays were not very much appreciated in this era. They were mostly based on Charles-I’s life. For example, he produced “The Staple of News” about journalism, and “The New Inn”.
Johnson also wrote the poem “An Ode to Himself” about his self-praise because his works were less appreciated by the audience. He was perhaps also disappointed by the ignorance he received from the new court of Charles-I. However, he did not leave writing despite the continuous strokes he suffered and the ignorance that broke him.
Death
He died supposedly on 16 August 1637. Furthermore, he left an incomplete work “The Sad Shepherd” that was in the genre of pastoral writing. It gave a new dimension to Jonson’s writing but remained unfinished.
Ben Jonson’s Writing Style
Classical Influence
A prolific writer of the Elizabethan Age, Ben Jonson puts more emphasis on classical works of the ancient Greek and Roman thinkers e.g. Horace and Aristotle. The concentration of classical forms and references in his work had a profound impact on the Augustan Age literary works. This classical touch in his works came during the time of his relationship with the scholar William Camden in Westminster School.
For example, being a follower of the classics, he focused more on the form and its clarity of structure rather than the expression of emotions. Likewise, there is a representation of wit, cleverness, and conciseness than clear imagery. It is also due to the reason that Jonson was put to practice poetry in a technical form in the school rather than focusing on its evoked meaning.
For example, in “The Alchemist” and other plays, the story is divided into five parts; exposition, complication, climax, falling action, and denouement. These five parts of the play were most common in ancient Greek and Roman tragedies like “Odyssey” and “Julius Caesar”.
Defense
Jonson was a bold defender of his literary pieces and represented the significance of position in his works. For example, in “Cynthia’s Revels” and “Poetaster” (1601), Jonson became a witty figure and unbiased judge to examine the status of art in society. He also portrayed Thomas Dekker and John Marston satirically due to a personal feud with them.
Moreover, he found English literary criticism by critiquing his contemporary and the most influential dramatist and poet, William Shakespeare in his prose collection, Discoveries Made upon Men and Matter.
Satire
Ben Jonson was the master of satire. He gave a new dimension to the literature by satirical representations of his dramas and poems. In this way, satire became a crucial part of his literary career. Mostly his comedies were presented in a satirical shade and gave a tough time to the conventions of the era. For example, “The Case is Altered”, “Volpone”, and “Poetaster” were a perfect combination of comedy and satire.
First performed in 1610, “The Alchemist” is also a satirical comedy on the follies and cons of social individuals. Also, his first and major satires include “Every Man in His Humour” and “Every Man out of His Humour”. Likewise, “The Devil is an Ass” also satirizes city life upon the themes of money and trickery.
Innovations
Ben Jonson’s writing style was that of bringing new changes to the work to make it more appealing. He went against the conventional ways of writing and developed a controversial reputation to be known differently. It is because he was intensely combative and placed himself in opposition to the flow of the era.
He also played a significant role in creating certain literary traditions. For example, Jonson created most of his works in the form of a blend between satire and comedy. Likewise, he pioneered the genre of literary criticism in English history. Later, he served the court in the form of an unrecognized Poet Laureate and received those privileges.
Plain Style
Jonson’s role as a poet is significant in English literary history. His ‘plain style’ of writing makes him a crucial figure in English poetry. He is self-conscious and sophisticated in his writing. This makes his style nearer to natural writing and removes artificiality. This colloquial and vigorous depiction exemplifies his deep interest in reality.
Jonson, ‘plain style’ is neither vulgar nor overwhelmingly sublime. For instance, it is more direct, clear, practical, serious, and forceful. His works like “To Penshurst”, “To the Memory of My Beloved Master William Shakespeare”, and “Come, My Celia” represent his artistic control and directness.
Themes in Ben Jonson’s Writings
Harmony in Social Discourse
Ben Jonson, the literary genius, unified the body of his works by creating a harmony in his themes to form an interwoven relationship between the conflicting social discourses. He knew the importance of finding harmony in social and political discourses of the era and served to unify the clashes of court life.
For example, in “Mercury Vindicated from the Alchemists at Court” and the poem “The Masque of the Queen”, Jonson tried to bring together the distorted political views through a harmonious understanding. This theme slightly contradicts Jonson’s personality as he held mostly conflicting thoughts than his colleagues and was involved in numerous literary battles.
The Idea of Death
The idea of death and especially premature death was common in the era of Ben Jonson. For instance, people accepted death as an inevitable part of existence which was a difficult thing in itself. As death has always been a delicate and emotional concept, a poet is most sensitively aware of the otherworld. Therefore, Jonson puts in an acute sense of death and holds it gently in his works.
His emotional attachment to death can also be because of his controversial life and his unhappy marriage. He had lost a young son and a daughter for whom he wrote two poems, “On My First Sonne” (1603), and “On My First Daughter” (1616). Likewise, most of Jonson’s celebrated works in history can be taken as epitaphs for a memorable or a deceased figure in history.
For example, he also wrote “An Epitaph on S.P” on the death of a young actor who was gifted with a natural talent to imitate the acting style of experienced actors.
True to Himself
In most of the works that he wrote, Ben Jonson was always true to himself. His self-depiction was distinctive and he proved himself as a unique literary figure different from other writers of the time. Shakespeare had famously said in “Hamlet” through the words of Polonius ‘To thine own self be true’, which perfectly applies to Jonson. For example, “An Ode to Himself” is Jonson’s work of self-appraisal.
He held upright thinking of himself in his writings and thus remained a literary master throughout his career. He never hid his true identity in his works despite the contradictory and controversial nature of Jonson. He even wrote masques about finding harmony in social life and rejected harmony when he found it pricking.
Divine Rights of the Monarch
Throughout his literary career, Ben Jonson had controversial attachments with the government. As in the early writing era, he served King James and received privileges from him. Moreover, he once said that it was the responsibility of poets of the time to serve the King. Jonson even agreed on the divine rights of the King and said that King James and the government were inseparable. He wrote poems like “The Coronation Triumph” (1604) and “The Masque of Blackness” (1605) etc.
In return, King James also favored the poet by giving him the unofficial status of Poet Laureate and started a state pension for him. However, after James’ death, he also served Charles-I and wrote many masques for the monarch. Some of them are “Love’s Triumph Through Callipolis” (1631) and “The King’s Entertainment at Welbeck in Nottinghamshire” in 1633.