WONDERING MINDS - UP ASST PROFESSOR EXAM - UNIT–II: BRITISH DRAMA - BEN JONSON - EVERYMAN IN HIS HUMOUR

Sep 24, 2026

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Wondering Minds exam revision material focusing on Unit-II: British Drama and Ben Jonson, especially Everyman in His Humour. It outlines Jonson’s quick profile, his comedy of humours and satirical character types, and the Jonsonian “humour” concept as dominant behavioural tendency. The notes cover plot and setting in urban London, major characters and their functions, and key themes such as jealousy, suspicion, deception, pretension, and generational conflict, supported by the play’s satiric technique.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Ben Jonson—Quick Profile

Everyman in His Humour—Plot & Setting

Everyman in His Humour—Major Characters

Themes & Technique

Exam Revision—20 Long Liners

WONDERING MINDS UP ASST PROFESSOR EXAM WONDERING MINDS FREE CONTENT FOR ALL UNIT–II: BRITISH DRAMA BEN JONSON EVERYMAN IN HIS HUMOUR BEN JONSON—QUICK PROFILE • 1572/73–1637—major Jacobean dramatist, poet and literary figure. • Known for satirical comedy, classical influence and the comedy of humours. • Everyman in His Humour is a major city comedy and an important text in the study of Jonsonian satire. • Jonson's drama observes manners, folly, pretension, deception and social behaviour. EXAM FORMULA: JONSON = COMEDY OF HUMOURS + SATIRE + CHARACTER TYPES + LONDON LIFE 9996832450 Page 1 WONDERING MINDS 2. BEN JONSON—AGE, LIFE & DRAMATIC POSITION HIGH-YIELD FACTS • Ben Jonson belongs principally to the Jacobean dramatic tradition. • His dramatic method is strongly influenced by classical ideas of comedy, order and characterization. • He is associated with satire directed at social folly, affectation, greed and pretension. • His characters often become dominated by a particular humour, obsession or behavioural tendency. JONSON'S COMIC METHOD • Comedy exposes foolish behaviour rather than merely producing laughter. • Characterization is sharpened through exaggeration and recurring traits. • The urban setting allows Jonson to examine money, status, deception and social performance. • Language becomes a tool for revealing pretension and manipulating others. TRAP: The ‘humour’ in Jonsonian comedy is not simply a synonym for being funny; it refers to a dominant disposition or behavioural tendency shaping a character. 9996832450 Page 2 WONDERING MINDS 3. EVERYMAN IN HIS HUMOUR—PLOT & SETTING Everyman in His Humour is a comedy built around human folly, exaggerated dispositions and urban social interaction. Its characters move through a world of deception, misunderstanding, pretence and competing desires. PLOT—EXAM SEQUENCE • The action revolves around characters whose dominant traits repeatedly generate comic conflict. • Young characters seek love, pleasure or freedom while older figures attempt to control or understand them. • Deception and disguise complicate relationships and create misunderstandings. • Jealousy, suspicion and pretension intensify the comic situations. • The resolution exposes folly and restores social order through recognition and correction. SETTING • Urban / London environment. • Social mobility and city life create opportunities for deception and self-fashioning. • The city becomes a comic laboratory for observing manners and human behaviour. 9996832450 Page 3 WONDERING MINDS 4. EVERYMAN IN HIS HUMOUR—MAJOR CHARACTERS KEY FIGURES • Kno'well—an anxious father whose concern for his son contributes to the comedy of suspicion and control. • Edward Kno'well—young man whose desires and relationships generate conflict with paternal authority. • Brainworm—clever servant and manipulator; disguise and role-playing are central to his comic activity. • Kitely—jealous merchant whose suspicion becomes a major source of comic tension. • Dame Kitely—Kitely's wife, caught within the play's networks of suspicion and social performance. • Captain Bobadill—boastful soldier; comic embodiment of false courage and self-important bravado. • Matthew—pretentious would-be poet and a target of literary/social satire. • Justice Clement—figure associated with judgement and the restoration of order. CHARACTER TRAP: Bobadill = boastful soldier; Matthew = pretentious poet; Brainworm = disguise/manipulation; Kitely = jealousy. 9996832450 Page 4 WONDERING MINDS 5. EVERYMAN IN HIS HUMOUR—THEMES & TECHNIQUE MAJOR THEMES • Comedy of Humours—dominant traits drive behaviour and conflict. • Jealousy & Suspicion—especially visible through Kitely's comic anxiety. • Deception & Disguise—role-playing exposes the instability of social identity. • Pretension—Jonson satirizes people who claim greater status, courage or talent than they pos

FAQs

What does “comedy of humours” mean in Jonson’s context?

It refers to characters being shaped by a dominant disposition or behavioural tendency that drives actions and comic conflict, rather than simply making people laugh.

How does the setting of London contribute to the play’s humour?

The urban environment enables observation of manners and facilitates money, status, deception, social mobility, and performance, making identity unstable and misunderstandings more likely.

Which characters and traits are central to the play’s comic tension?

Kno'well’s anxious control creates suspicion, Kitely’s jealousy fuels tension, Brainworm uses disguise and manipulation, Bobadill embodies boastful false courage, and Matthew targets pretentious poetic self-image.

Sep 24, 2026

Upload by Mabel