Shakespeare’s contemporary, Ben Jonson, was referred to as “The greatest playwright to have lived” by William Shakespeare. Ben Jonson however, referred to Shakespeare as “A man not of an age, but for all time.” How then, is it that William Shakespeare is renowned as much as he is? How many people, if you asked them, would know who Ben Jonson was? What if you asked about Shakespeare? Who is Ben Jonson?
Ben Jonson was born on June 11th 1572 in Westminster, London. He subsequently died on the 6th of August 1637 in, some 65 years later. As a English Renaissance dramatist, and poet, Ben Jonson is best known for his satirical, plays, and lyric poems. Ben Jonson was also an actor.
Jonson went to school Westminster School, where he met William Camden. Jonson was friendly with Camden for the majority of his life. Camden was a well learned man who wrote Britannia, which is a book the describes and relates the different countries of Great Britain, and Ireland. By 1594 Jonson was married to a yet undetermined person(some believe that the woman was Ann Lewis).
Jonson's daughter Mary, died shortly after her birth in 1593, and his son Benjamin some ten years later. Another son, Benjamin, died in 1635. In 1597 Jonson was a part of the “Admirals Men”where he wrote and performed. “Admirals Men” is considered to be the second most important acting company of its time, superseded by “Kings Men,”

"John Aubrey reports, on uncertain authority, that Jonson was not successful as an actor..”

This suggests that while Jonson pulled his weight in the acting company, he was valued more as an writer than an actor. By 1598, Ben Jonson had started to write original plays of his own, for performance by his acting troupe.
Some of Jonsons most known plays are; Volpone a satire, The Alchemist a comedy, and Bartholomew Fair. Most of Jonson's success took place within the first two decades of the seventeenth century. Jonsons life came to its climax during these years, and proceeded into the falling action in the next decade.


Works Cited

Wikipedia. “Ben Jonson.” 23 May 2010. http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/contemporaries.htm#Jonson

Terry, Gray. “Shakespeare's Contemporaries” 2007-2009. 23 May 2010. http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/contemporaries.htm#Jonson