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:

    Buz, quoth the blue fly,
    Hum, quoth the bee,
    Buz and hum they cry,
    And so do we:
    In his ear, in his nose, thus, do you see?
    He ate the dormouse, else it was he.
    Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

    Blueness doth express trueness.
    Ben Jonson (1573–1637)

    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)

    My title’s sealed. Those that for claps do write,
    Let pui’nies, porters’, players’ praise delight,
    And, till they burst, their backs like asses load:
    A man should seek great glory, and not broad.
    Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

    Hear me, O God!
    A broken heart,
    Is my best part:
    Use still thy rod,
    That I may prove
    Therein, thy Love.

    If thou hadst not
    Beene stern to mee.
    But left me free.
    I had forgot
    My selfe and thee.
    Ben Jonson (1572–1637)