Every Man in His Humour: Quarto Version

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Manchester University Press, Oct 13, 2000 - Drama - 282 pages
This edition breaks with the usual practice by presenting the 1601 quarto version of Ben Jonson's play, set in Florence, instead of the revised 1616 version, set in London. Robert S. Miola presents a meticulously edited and modernized version of the play as originally acted by the Lord Chamberlain's Men (with Shakespeare in the cast) in 1598. Miola explores the relevance of the Italian setting, particularly the potent, variegated, and fascinating body of myth and legend that constituted Italy for English audiences in 1598. The editor also illuminates the dramatic context of the play, while paying detailed attention to the social, political, and religious contexts.
 

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About the author (2000)

Born in 1572, Ben Jonson rejected his father's bricklaying trade and ran away from his apprenticeship to join the army. He returned to England in 1592, working as an actor and playwright. In 1598, he was tried for murder after killing another actor in a duel, and was briefly imprisoned. One of his first plays, Every Man Out of His Humor (1599) had fellow playwright William Shakespeare as a cast member. His success grew with such works as Volpone (1605) and The Alchemist (1610) and he was popular at court, frequently writing the Christmas masque. He is considered a very fine Elizabethan poet. In some anti-Stratfordian circles he is proposed as the true author of Shakespeare's plays, though this view is not widely accepted. Jonson was appointed London historian in 1628, but that same year, his life took a downward turn. He suffered a paralyzing stroke and lost favor at court after an argument with architect Inigo Jones and the death of King James I. Ben Jonson died on August 6, 1637.

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