How did Ben Jonson start his career?

He left the Westminster school in 1589, worked briefly in his stepfather’s trade as a bricklayer, then served in the military at Flanders, before working as an actor and playwright for Philip Henslowe’s theater company. In 1594, Jonson married Anne Lewis and began to work as an actor and playwright.

What did Ben Jonson write about?

He was a portly man apt to praise the finer things in his countless poems, and sought recognition from the court of King James I. He wrote more than twenty masques for the court, including The Masque of Blackness, in which Queen Anne herself performed. In 1616 Jonson was named England’s first ever Poet Laureate.

Which works made Ben Jonson a celebrity?

In addition to writing numerous masques, including Entertainment at Althorpe and The Masque of Blackness, Jonson wrote his four most famous plays, considered his major comedies: Volpone, The Alchemist, Epicoene, and Bartholomew Fair, all within eight years.

Did Jonson know Shakespeare?

ot only did Ben Jonson know Shakespeare, he said he loved him. ”I loved the man and do honour his memory (this side idolatry) as much as any,” he wrote in 1619, three years after Shakespeare’s death. Yet in February 1616 — with Shakespeare still living!

Who was Ben Jonson and what did he do?

Ben Jonson, byname of Benjamin Jonson, (born June 11?, 1572, London, England—died August 6, 1637, London), English Stuart dramatist, lyric poet, and literary critic. He is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare , during the reign of James I .

Where did John Jonson live as a child?

Jonson was a British poet and playwright who was born on June 11th, 1572 in Westminster. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, a master bricklayer, in Westminster and attended the Westminster school as a child, learning from some of the greatest classical scholars of the time.

When did Ben Jonson go to the Netherlands?

After having been an apprentice bricklayer, Ben Jonson went to the Netherlands and volunteered to soldier with the English regiments of Francis Vere (1560–1609) in Flanders .

When did Ben Jonson write his first play?

In 1598, Jonson wrote what is considered his first great play, Every Man in His Humor. In a 1616 production, William Shakespeare acted in one of the lead roles. Shortly after the play opened, Jonson killed Gabriel Spencer in a duel and was tried for murder.