Ben Jonson

Timeline

1. 1601–1602London · EnglandIn 1601 Jonson staged the satirical comedy Poetomachia, mocking fellow playwrights such as John Marston and Thomas Dekker, sparking the so-called War of the Poets. Using classical comic conventions to criticize the contemporary stage, the play cemented Jonson's image as a playwright with a self-conscious literary theory.
2. 1605–1609London · EnglandVolpone (1605), on the themes of greed and hypocrisy, became a model of Jacobean comedy, followed by The Alchemist (1060) and Epicoene, or The Silent Woman (1609). Through rigorous structure, vivid character types, and sharp social satire, Jonson established a comic aesthetic distinct from Shakespeare's.
3. 1605–1610London · EnglandFrom 1605 Jonson was employed to write court masques for James I and Queen Anne, collaborating long-term with designer Inigo Jones. Works such as The Vision of Delight (1608) fused drama, music, and visual art, making the masque a major showcase of Stuart court culture.