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)

    “Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show,
    Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row
    Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold;
    Thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told,
    Or stair, or courts; but stand’st an ancient pile,”
    —Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

    “For I loved the man and do honour his memory, on this side of idolatry, as much as any.”
    —Ben Jonson (1573–1637)

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

    “Though beautie be the marke of praise,
    And yours of whom I sing be such
    As not the world can praise too much,
    Yet is’t your vertue now I raise.”
    —Ben Jonson (1572–1637)