Jonson, Ben
Jonson, Ben (1572–1637). English Renaissance poet and playwright, the most forthright and politically conservative of his contemporaries. His writing—poetry, drama, and opinions—is a curious blend of disciplined classicism and carnival grotesque. He was imprisoned twice, once for his part in the scurrilous play Isle of Dogs and once for killing an actor in a duel. He converted to Roman catholicism whilst in jail. Along with John Marston (with whom he exchanged dramatic fire in the ‘war of the theatres’, 1599–1600) and Thomas Middleton, he created ‘Jacobean city comedy’. His best-known plays are Volpone (1605), The Alchemist (1610), and Bartholomew Fair (1614). Socially and culturally aspirant, Jonson attracted royal patronage, creating a series of court masques (in collaboration with Inigo Jones) and receiving a life pension from James I. Unlike most of his fellow-playwrights, he carefully supervised the publication of his plays for his grandiosely named Workes in 1616. The latter part of his career was less successful, though he continued to be lionized, notably by a group of young royalist writers known as the ‘tribe of Ben’, who later formed the nucleus of the ‘Cavalier poets’. He died in 1637 and was buried in Westminster abbey.
Gordon Macmullan
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Jonson, Ben