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Audiobook editionPaperback · 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
You will enjoy this if you like sharp comedy about vain, jealous and boastful people, lively disguises and mix-ups, and a close look at everyday London in the age of Shakespeare.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A father's spying becomes visible
- Stephen borrows his gentlemanly identity
- Boasting needs a willing audience
- Jealousy turns thought into a prison
- Brainworm steers others through disguise
- A humor grows through feeding
- False stories bring everyone together
- Ordinary speech exposes ordinary folly
- Ruling habits reveal their owners
Who’s who
- Old KnowellA worried gentleman who opens his son's letter and follows him across London to guard him from bad company.
- Edward KnowellHis scholarly son, who loves poetry and his lively friend Wellbred, and hopes to win Bridget.
- BrainwormThe father's servant, who switches sides, wears many disguises and enjoys steering everyone's day.
- WellbredKitely's brother-in-law, a witty young man who plays tricks on his brother and plans a match for his friend.
- KitelyA rich merchant in the Old Jewry who fears that his wife is unfaithful and cannot stop imagining it.
- Captain BobadillA boastful soldier lodging with Cob, who claims great skill with the sword and avoids every real fight.
- Master StephenKnowell's country nephew, who wants to act like a gentleman and buys whatever fashion tells him to.
- Justice ClementA merry old magistrate who pretends to be stern, but judges with humor and sense.
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Every Man in His Humor
by Ben Jonson · 1601
A father knowingly opens his son's letter, and one London day turns into a chase of disguises, boasts and jealous fits.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
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In short
What happens when a father reads the wrong letter? In Every Man in His Humor, old Knowell opens a note meant for his son and learns that the boy keeps wild company.
Every Man in His Humor at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 55 min1 h 35 min fast, 2 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 27,900 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1601by Ben Jonson
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A father opens the wrong letter
The play begins on a fresh morning outside the house of Knowell, an old gentleman in London. He tells his servant Brainworm to wake his son, Edward. Knowell is troubled, because Edward loves poetry, and Knowell once loved it too.
Then a servant arrives with a letter for Edward Knowell. The old man shares the name, so he opens it. The note comes from Wellbred, a lively young friend who lives at the house of Kitely, a merchant. It mocks the father as a man who counts his apricots, and it promises Edward the sight of two curious fools.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1601
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Jonson, Ben. Every Man in His Humor. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/every-man-in-his-humor.
Jonson, B. (2026). Every man in his humor. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/every-man-in-his-humor (Original work published 1601)
Jonson, Ben. Every Man in His Humor. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/every-man-in-his-humor.
@book{jonson2026every,
author = {Jonson, Ben},
title = {Every Man in His Humor},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/every-man-in-his-humor},
note = {First published 1601}
}
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What is Every Man in His Humor about?
It follows one day in London when a father opens his son's letter and follows him. Along the way, a jealous merchant, a boastful soldier and a servant in disguise cause a series of comic mistakes.
What does humor mean in the title?
In Jonson's time a humor meant a ruling temper or quirk that controls a person. In this play it describes a pose, such as jealousy, vanity or swagger, that people feed until it grows.
Who is Brainworm?
Brainworm is Knowell's servant, a quick-witted trickster who helps the young men. He plays a poor soldier named Fitz-Sword, a justice's clerk and a city sergeant, and keeps the plot moving.
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.
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