Every Man in His Humor

"Every Man in His Humour" by Ben Jonson is a comedic play from the late 1500s that tells the story of a young man, Edward Knowell, and his father, Knowell, who doesn't like Edward's friends and how he lives his life, which causes a lot of funny mix-ups in London. The play kicks off with Knowell worrying about his son and his questionable decisions. The story gets funny when we meet Knowell's cousin, Stephen, who is silly and wants to be a fancy gentleman, which is different from Knowell's more serious personality. As the story moves forward, we are introduced to more characters that each represent different comedic personalities, setting us up for a mix of social jokes and humor based on the characters that Jonson is well-known for. The play explores ideas about being young and foolish, parents worrying about their kids, and problems people have when different social classes are in conflict, which all make for an interesting look at what it means to be human through jokes and satire.