Every Man out of His Humour by Ben Jonson
"Every Man out of His Humour" is a comedic play by Ben Jonson, first performed in 1599. The narrative follows Macilente, who, disillusioned with societal injustices, retreats to the countryside. There, he encounters a series of characters, including the wealthy but naive farmer Sogliardo and the cynical courtier Carlo Buffone, who takes advantage of Sogliardo's aspirations to become a gentleman. The play explores themes of social pretension, the folly of ambition, and the contrasts between country and court life.
As the plot unfolds, various characters engage in humorous antics, such as Puntarvolo, an extravagant knight obsessed with honor and betting on absurd ventures, and Sordido, a miserly farmer fixated on hoarding wealth. Through farcical situations, the characters reflect the follies of human nature and the superficiality of social status. The play ultimately portrays a comedic critique of social norms, where the absurdity of ambition and the quest for gentility lead to chaotic interactions and revelations. "Every Man out of His Humour" remains an insightful commentary on the human condition, showcasing Jonson's sharp wit and keen observations of society.
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Every Man out of His Humour by Ben Jonson
First produced: 1599; first published, 1600
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Comedy
Time of plot: Early seventeenth century
Locale: Probably London
Principal characters
Macilente , a malcontentCarlo Buffone , a scofferSogliardo , a wealthy country foolSordido , a rural miserFungoso , his sonPuntarvolo , a fantastic knightFastidious Brisk , a courtierSaviolina , a lady of the court
The Story:
Macilente, disgusted by the injustices of society, flees to the country. As he lies idly under a tree he overhears a conversation between the wealthy young farmer, Sogliardo, and Carlo Buffone, a railing cynic whom the rustic bumpkin chooses as his guide in becoming a gentleman. Macilente winces at Sogliardo’s presumption and at Buffone’s callous instructions to the foolish Sogliardo. Buffone, seeing Macilente and knowing him to be a malcontent, hurries away with Sogliardo, but in departing he tells Macilente that they are going to Puntarvolo’s house.
Still musing under the tree, Macilente next listens while Sordido, a miserly farmer, consults his almanac and hopes for rainy weather in order that his hoarded grain might soar in value. A farmhand delivers to Sordido a note, an official order for him to bring his grain to market. Sordido scorns the order and swears that he will hide his surplus harvest.
In front of Puntarvolo’s house, Buffone and Sogliardo talk with the braggart courtier, Sir Fastidious Brisk. The three watch with amazement Puntarvolo’s return from the hunt. Puntarvolo, an old-fashioned fantastic knight, is given to extravagances in the form of little homecoming plays which he writes himself. Assuming the role of a strange knight, Puntarvolo approaches his house, inquires about the owner, and hears his virtues praised by his indulgent wife and her women. In another part of the play Puntarvolo woos his wife in the manner of a knight-errant. Sordido and his son, Fungoso, a law student in the city, appear. Fungoso is so impressed with the stylish cut of Brisk’s clothes that he asks his uncle, Sogliardo, to get him money from Sordido, ostensibly for law books but actually for a suit of clothes in the latest style. All the while hoping for rain, Sordido reluctantly gives his son money, but not enough.
Reaction varies to Puntarvolo’s announcement that he wagered five thousand pounds at five-to-one odds that he and his wife and their dog can travel to Constantinople and back without a fatal mishap. Buffone sees in this venture material for a colossal joke, while Brisk is interested in investing a hundred pounds in the venture. Fungoso, meanwhile, taken with Brisk’s courtly manner and dress, is pleased to learn that his brother-in-law, Deliro, is Brisk’s merchant.
The next day Macilente advises his friend Deliro to exercise some control in his doting love for his wife, since this dotage causes the wife, Fallace, to react petulantly to Deliro’s affections. Fungoso, wearing a new suit, goes to Deliro’s house and borrows money from his sister, Fallace, in order to complete his costume. No sooner does he receive the money than Brisk enters in a new suit. Fungoso, frustrated by this new development, writes his father for more money. Brisk, meanwhile, brags of his actually nonexistent triumphs at court; he also makes arrangements with Deliro for mortgaging his land in the country. Fallace, impatient with her workaday husband, admires Brisk’s courtliness and dreams of becoming a court lady.
Buffone, accompanied by Puntarvolo, tries to find two retainers for his newly arrived gentleman, Sogliardo. Puntarvolo, who has with him a dog and a cat, explains that his wife withdrew from the Constantinople venture and that the cat will go in her place.
Brisk promises to take the hopeful Macilente to court if Macilente will purchase himself a fitting suit of clothes. Actually, it is Macilente’s purpose to discover Brisk’s true standing at the court. Fungoso and his tailor, ever in pursuit of the latest fashion, studies Brisk’s clothes as the knight talks to his companions. Sogliardo, who desires to have every gentlemanly attainment, retains a braggart down-at-heels rascal, Shift.
The good weather that prevails in the country becomes the despair of Sordido. In desperation, he attempts to hang himself, but he is rescued from that folly by the neighboring farmers, who will save him despite his despicable miserliness. The revelation to him of his evil nature causes him to have a change of heart; he vows to be a kind and generous neighbor henceforward.
Dressing themselves in new clothes, Brisk and Macilente appear at the court, Macilente to observe court life and Brisk’s deportment. Macilente marvels at the inane discourse between Brisk and Saviolina, a court lady, and he is amused when Saviolina puts Brisk out of countenance for his abominable habit of smoking.
Fallace, meanwhile, dreams of the virtues of courtier Fastidious Brisk and pays no attention to Deliro’s efforts to please her. When Macilente tells them of Brisk’s folly at court, Deliro is determined to foreclose on the knight. Fallace, shocked at Macilente’s disloyalty and eager to help Brisk, sends Fungoso, whom she gives money to buy himself a new suit, to warn Brisk of her husband’s intentions.
Brisk fails to keep an appointment at the notary’s, where he is to contribute a hundred pounds to Puntarvolo’s venture. Not finding Brisk immediately, Deliro has time to reconsider his plan. He decides not to foreclose on Brisk and he renounces Macilente’s friendship because Macilente, he feels, unreasonably urged him to be more realistic in his attitude toward his wife. Sogliardo, meanwhile, is delighted with his man Shift, who pretends to be a former highwayman, but who is, in reality, a shiftless, cowardly indigent. Brisk makes his belated appearance at the notary’s, with the explanation that he was detained by ladies of the court. Fungoso, gone to see his tailor, fails in his mission to intercept Brisk.
Puntarvolo prepares for his journey to Constantinople with his dog and cat. Sogliardo, persuaded by Buffone and Brisk that the time finally comes, decides to become a courtier. All of his acquaintances conspire to make a fool of him. Fungoso, dressed in what he thinks is the latest fashion, discovers Brisk to be wearing a new suit and is unhappy.
At the palace foolish old Puntarvolo puts his dog in the care of a surly groom. Macilente privately obtains the dog from the groom and poisons it. Brisk and Puntarvolo tell Saviolina that they are presenting to her an incomparable courtier, Sogliardo, and that this courtier enjoys playing the part of a country boor. Confronted by clownish Sogliardo, Saviolina insists that she can detect the gentleman in him; she is appalled to discover that Sogliardo, who is not aware of the joke, is a rude peasant. When Puntarvolo misses his dog, he accuses Shift of doing away with the animal and threatens to beat the man. Shift, frightened, confesses, to the disenchantment of Sogliardo, that he never had the courage to commit even one of the crimes of which he boasted.
At the Mitre Tavern, Buffone, who cannot endure the follies and affectations of court life, greets his companions. Puntarvolo, dejected by the loss of his dog and the loss of his wager, is teased by Buffone. In a rage, Puntarvolo seals Buffone’s lips with sealing wax. When the police arrive, everyone tries to flee. Brisk is seized. Fungoso, hiding under a table, is discovered and held to pay the reckoning for all the company ate and drank.
Macilente, seeing in the situation a chance to rid Deliro and Fallace of their humors, sends Deliro to rescue Fungoso at the tavern and Fallace to the jail to comfort Brisk. Deliro pays the bill at the Mitre Tavern. Fungoso declares that he is through with fashion forever. Macilente then sends Deliro to the jail to obtain Brisk’s release, after telling him that by so doing Deliro will be reconciled to his wife. At the jail Deliro, seeing Fallace’s interest in Brisk, is suddenly awakened from his misperceptions. Brisk is doomed to serve a term for his debts. Thus the air is cleared and all who were taken with a folly are cured.
Bibliography
Beaurline, L. A. Jonson and Elizabethan Comedy: Essays in Dramatic Rhetoric. San Marino, Calif.: Huntington Library, 1978. Analyzes the rhetorical devices Jonson uses to satirize literary pretensions. The intent of Every Man out of His Humour is more “corrective” than its predecessors, Every Man in His Humour, and its occasional roughness derives from its being an experiment.
Brock, D. Heyward. A Ben Jonson Companion. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1983. A guide to Jonson’s life and works and to the literary milieu in which Jonson flourished. Summarizes his plays, identifies characters in the works and people in Jonson’s life, and defines literary terms. Includes bibliography.
Dessen, Alan C. Jonson’s Moral Comedy. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 1971. Sees Jonson as converting the materials of nondramatic verse satire to the stage in Every Man out of His Humour. The characters Macilente and Carlo Buffone replace the satirist of the nondramatic tradition. Dessen maintains that Every Man out of His Humour reveals much about Jonson’s aims as a satirist.
Donaldson, Ian. Jonson’s Magic Houses: Essays in Interpretation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Donaldson, a Jonson scholar, provides new interpretations of Jonson’s personality, work, and literary legacy.
Enck, John J. Jonson and the Comic Truth. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1957. Useful discussion of the background to the theory of humors and an analysis of Jonson’s adaptation of it. Identifies Desiderius Erasmus’s Moriœ Encomium (1511; The Praise of Folly, 1549) as a source of inspiration.
Harp, Richard, and Stanley Stewart, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Collection of essays about Jonson’s life and career, including analyses of his comedies and late plays, a description of London and its theaters during Jonson’s lifetime, and an evaluation of his critical heritage.
Loxley, James. The Complete Critical Guide to Ben Jonson. New York: Routledge, 2002. An introductory overview of Jonson’s life and work, particularly useful for students. Part 1 provides biographical information and places Jonson’s life and work within the context of his times; part 2 discusses several works, including Every Man out of His Humour; part 3 offers critical analysis of the themes in his plays, the style of his writing, and a comparison of his work to that of William Shakespeare.
McEvoy, Sean. Ben Jonson, Renaissance Dramatist. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008. McEvoy analyzes all of Jonson’s plays, attributing their greatness to the playwright’s commitment to the ideals of humanism during a time of authoritarianism and rampant capitalism in England. Every Man out of His Humour is discussed in chapter 2, with other references listed in the index.
Watson, Robert N. Ben Jonson’s Parodic Strategy: Literary Imperialism in the Comedies. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1987. Stresses three features of Every Man out of His Humour: the indifference to unity in plot and tone, the treatment of literary characters, and the attention to audience attitudes.