Ben Jonson (1572-1637) was an English poet, playwright, and literary critic, whose influence on English Renaissance literature during the Jacobean Era (1603-1625) has been regarded as second only to that of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). A prolific writer, Jonson penned hundreds of poems, multiple masques, as well as several major plays, mostly comedies. The most significant of his plays include Every Man in His Humour (1598), Volpone, or the Fox (1606), Epicoene, or the Silent Woman (1609), The Alchemist (1610), and Bartholomew Fair (1614).
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Timeline
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11 Jun 1572Ben Jonson, one of the most influential playwrights of English Renaissance literature, is born near London, England.
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1597Ben Jonson is arrested and imprisoned for six weeks for his controversial play 'Isle of Dogs'.
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Sep 1598Playwright Ben Jonson kills actor Gabriel Spenser in a duel; Jonson avoids execution by claiming 'benefit of clergy'.
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1601 - 1602The 'War of the Theatres', a public feud between London playwrights - Ben Jonson against John Marston and Thomas Dekker.
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1606Ben Jonson writes his popular play 'Volpone, or the Fox'.
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1616Ben Jonson publishes a collection of his works, the first English playwright to do so in his own lifetime.
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1618Ben Jonson embarks on a walking tour from London to Scotland, meets Scottish poet William Drummond.
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6 Aug 1637Ben Jonson dies at the age of 65.
