Born in early June of 1572 in London, Ben Jonson never had the chance to know his father, who was a minister that had passed away two months prior to Ben's birth. Little evidence of Jonson's father exists; the name "Jonson" was quite common, and its unique spelling was likely Ben's creation, as there were numerous Johnsons in London during that era. His mother remarried early in his childhood to a bricklayer named Robert Brett.
Jonson's education began briefly at Westminster School, where he was introduced to the prevailing humanist culture of English thought at the time. Later, Jonson mentioned being "taken from" his education and apprenticed in another craft, possibly followed by a...
