5 h 22 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when everyone in a crowded city lets one foolish obsession take charge?
In Ben Jonson’s comedy Every Man in His Humor, old Knowell reads a letter never meant for him. He already fears that poetry will lead his son Edward into bad company. Edward wants freedom from that watchful eye, while the quick-witted servant Brainworm finds fresh scope for disguise and tricks.
Around them gather people determined to seem wiser, braver, or grander than they are. Captain Bobadill boasts of his swordsmanship. Matthew borrows other men’s verses. Meanwhile, the prosperous merchant Kitely fears his wife is unfaithful. Through fast talk, a quarrel, and mistaken judgments, Jonson shows how a fixed obsession can bend ordinary life out of shape.
What you’ll discover
- A letter in wrong hands Watch a father’s worry turn a misread letter into the starting point for comedy.
- A servant who steers events Follow Brainworm through disguises and tricks, driven by his restless pleasure in deception.
- Boasts and borrowed verses Meet Bobadill and Matthew, whose claims expose the gap between appearance and ability.
- Jealousy without a cause See how Kitely’s groundless suspicion unsettles a man who otherwise has much to enjoy.
- Folly brought into focus Discover Jonson’s comedy of fixed quirks, where lively speech makes familiar human weaknesses sharply visible.
Who will love it
For readers who love sharp comedy, stage history, and portraits of types you still meet in life. It also suits anyone curious about Shakespeare's London.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A father reads the wrong letter
- Three fools and their borrowed airs
- Kitely and the sickness of jealousy
- Brainworm, the servant who runs the plot
- What the play says about folly
- How Jonson builds a comedy of types
Who’s who
- Old KnowellA watchful gentleman who fears poetry will ruin his son, and who misreads a letter that was never meant for him.
- Edward KnowellHis son, a young man who loves poetry and good company, and who wants freedom from his father's watchful eye.
- BrainwormKnowell's quick and playful servant, who loves disguise and trickery and steers much of the action.
- KitelyA prosperous London merchant who is tormented by a groundless fear that his wife is unfaithful.
- Captain BobadillA boasting soldier who claims a secret skill with the sword and lodges with the water carrier Cob.
- MatthewA town gull who wants to be thought a poet and passes off other men's verses as his own.
- StephenEdward's country cousin, who wants to be taken for a gentleman and copies the manners he sees.
- WellbredA witty young man about town who enjoys teasing the fools around him and who writes the fateful letter.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 5 h 22 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Cada cual según su humor in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Cada cual según su humor
by Ben Jonson · 1601
A father misreads a letter and fears for his son as a clever servant's disguises stir up mistakes in London.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Every Man in His Humor is a comedy by Ben Jonson, first staged in 1598 by the company known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Shakespeare is recorded among its actors.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A father reads the wrong letter
The play opens at the house of old Knowell, a careful gentleman who has strong views on how a young man should be raised. His son, Edward Knowell, has a taste for poetry, and the father fears that verse will lead him to idleness and bad company. He has tried to guide the young man, and he believes he has done it kindly. But worry has made him quick to suspect the worst.
Then a letter arrives that is not meant for him. It is written by Wellbred, a lively young man about town, and addressed to Edward. It is carried by a servant, and old Knowell opens it. Inside he finds a jokey invitation to come and enjoy the pleasures of the city. Wellbred writes in the teasing tone of a close friend, and the father takes the jokes at face value.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Cada cual según su humor
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Every Man in His Humor about?
It is a comedy about a day of mistakes in a city. A father misreads a letter, a merchant fears his wife's unfaithfulness, and boasters and imitators make fools of themselves while a clever servant stirs the plot.
What does humor mean in Every Man in His Humor?
It refers to an old medical idea that bodily fluids, called humors, shaped temper. Jonson uses it for a ruling obsession, such as jealousy or boasting, that makes a person act in one fixed, comic way.
When was Every Man in His Humor written and first performed?
It was first staged in 1598 by the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and Shakespeare is recorded among the cast. The first version was set in Italy, and Jonson later revised it for a London setting.
The author
Ben Jonson
1572–1637 · English playwright and poet
Ben Jonson (1572–1637) was an English playwright, poet, and actor who lived in London. He wrote Every Man in His Humour (1598), Volpone (1606), The Alchemist (1610), and The Devil Is an Ass (1616). A collection of his works appeared in 1616. He died in London in 1637.
More by Ben Jonson
All 4 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
