Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson

Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – 6 August 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems. A man of vast reading and a seemingly insatiable appetite for controversy, Jonson had an unparalleled breadth of influence on Jacobean and Caroline playwrights and poets.

Read more about Ben Jonson:  Relationship With Shakespeare, Reception and Influence, Biographies of Ben Jonson

Famous quotes by ben jonson:

    “The faery beam upon you,
    The stars to glisten on you,
    A moon of light
    In the noon of night
    Till the firedrake hath o’er gone you.”
    —Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

    “Some bring a capon, some a rural cake,
    Some nuts, some apples; some that think they make
    The better cheeses bring ‘em, or else send
    By their ripe daughters, whom they would commend
    This way to husbands, and whose baskets bear
    An emblem of themselves in plum or pear.”
    —Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

    “This made you first to know the Why
    You liked, then after to apply
    That liking; and approach so one the tother,
    Till either grew a portion of the other;
    Each styled by his end,
    The copy of his friend.”
    —Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

    “Weep with me, all you that read
    This little story;
    And know, for whom a tear you shed
    Death’s self is sorry.”
    —Ben Jonson (1572–1637)