On My First Son by Ben Jonson
- Summary. ‘On my First Son’ by Ben Jonson is a poem about a father who has lost a young son, and attempts to distance himself from the tragedy in numerous ...
- Structure and Form. ‘On My First Son’ by Ben Jonson can be described as an elegy or epitaph. ...
- Rhyme Scheme. ...
- Metaphors in. ...
- Themes and Imagery. ...
- Tone. ...
- On My First Son Analysis. ...
- About Ben Jonson. ...
What is the poem on my first son about?
What is the main idea of on my first son? 'On My First Son,' though short, delves into several themes. Obviously, a major theme of this poem is life and death. Many poets have tackled some aspect of the meaning of life. In this poem, Jonson seems to relate life to a fairly grim state. Click to see full answer.
What is the theme of on my first son by Ben Jonson?
Ask a question. “On My First Son” is an elegy by the English poet and playwright Ben Jonson. He composed the poem shortly after his son died of the plague in 1603; his son was just seven years old at the time. Unlike many of Jonson’s other poems—which tend to be biting, sarcastic, and satirical—“On My First Son” is a moving ...
What is the message of on my first son?
Oct 26, 2018 · In “On My First Son,” Jonson addresses his first-born son, also named Benjamin, who died of the plague in 1603. The poem is an epigram, modeled on those of the Roman poet Martial. It starts as a...
What happened to Jonson’s son in on my first son?
On My First Son by Ben Jonson. ‘On my First Son’ is a poem about a father who has lost a young son, and attempts to distance himself from the tragedy in numerous ways. In ‘On My First Son’ by Ben Jonson, the speaker or the poet himself laments the death of his firstborn son. The poet and satirist Ben Jonson lost his seven-year-old child in 1603.
What is Ben Jonson's central message?
In this poem, life is all about the world's problems, people's physical pains, and the annoyances of old age. Death, in contrast, is an opportunity to avoid all that suffering. Jonson looks for the good in death, so he can ease his own pain in living on. Another major theme of the poem is grief.Oct 13, 2021
What type of poem is On My First Son?
"On My First Son" is written in the most popular meter for English poetry: iambic pentameter. In each line of the poem, there are five (which is where the "pent-" comes from) groups, each called a foot. In each foot, there is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
What is the theme of song to Celia?
Themes. 'Song; to Celia' by Ben Jonson is an interesting love poem that encompasses the theme of love. There are two important sub-theme under the major theme of love. One is the physicality of love and another is the spirituality of love.
What is the speakers sin in On My First Son?
Line 2: The speaker says his "sin" was having "too much hope" for his son. It is a "sin" because the speaker failed to realize that his son's life could end at any time.
Which type of poem tells a story?
Narrative poetry tells stories through verse. Like a novel or a short story, a narrative poem has plot, characters and setting. Using a range of poetic techniques such as rhyme and meter, narrative poetry presents a series of events, often including action and dialogue.Dec 2, 2020
What does the speaker in On My First Son say he will do in the future for his son's sake?
The speaker then asks his son to tell anyone who asks that he (the son) is Ben Jonson's best piece of poetry. Then, for his own sake, the speaker vows in future not to like the things he loves too much.
What does the rosy wreath symbolizes why is it sent To Celia?
Lines 9-12 Now he moves on to tell a little story about his relationship with the girl. He says he sent her a "rosy wreath." Why? "Not so much" because he wanted to show her how much he likes her. Instead he wanted to give "it" (the wreath) the hope of everlasting life ("it could not withered be").
How does the speaker in the poem feel towards Celia?
The speaker tells a woman (we're guessing her name is Celia) to drink to him only with her eyes – kind of like saying "cheers," but with her eyes instead of raising a glass. He goes on to describe his "thirst" for this woman. We're not totally sure how much Celia likes the speaker, though.Oct 2, 2018
What promises does he make in Song: To Celia?
Traditionally, a lover would toast his or her love and drink a glass of wine; here, the poet asks only for a pledge from Celia's eyes—a loving look—that he promises to return in kind. Even better, if she will “leave a kiss but in the cup” (that is, pledge a kiss), he will forget about wine.
Why did the speaker punish his son?
The speaker punishes his son because his son misbehaved he spoke too loud and did not follow his order. Explanation: After that, his son felt very sad and went to his room.Feb 5, 2020
Why does the Speaker of on my first son envy his dead son?
The speaker elaborates on why he thinks he should envy the state of death. He says he should because those who are dead have escaped the pains of the world and the pains of the body ("flesh's rage"), like stomachaches, arthritis, that sort of thing. It's pretty wild to think of physical pains as flesh's rage.
Why on my first son is an elegy?
Death, Grief, and Faith “On My First Son” is an elegy for Ben Jonson's eldest son, who died of the plague in 1603 when he was just seven years old. The poem mourns this tragedy in intimate, moving terms. The loss has thrown Jonson (the poem's speaker) into despair.
What is the poem "On My First Son" about?
Summary. ‘On my First Son’ by Ben Jonson is a poem about a father who has lost a young son, and attempts to distance himself from the tragedy in numerous ways. ‘On My First Son’ by Ben Jonson is a verse lament on the dead son of the poet. The poet in the first few lines talks about his ill fate to wish too much from his child.
What is the rhyme scheme of On My First Son?
Rhyme Scheme. ‘On My First Son’ by Ben Jonson has an interesting rhyme scheme. It is composed of both a regular rhyme scheme and an imperfect rhyme scheme. The poet employs the closed couplet form to rhyme the lines internally. However, there are certain areas where the rhyme breaks.
How old was Ben Jonson when he lost his child?
The poet and satirist Ben Jonson lost his seven-year-old child in 1603. In this poem, he mourns his death, but more than that, he examines his reactions to this seismic loss. The speaker is attempting to distance himself from the tragedy in numerous ways.
How many lines are there in "On My First Son"?
‘On My First Son’ by Ben Jonson can be described as an elegy or epitaph. Twelve lines long, it is written in iambic pentameter in rhyming couplets. These couplets could be indicative of the strong bond between father and son and the controlled form of the verse may be a means by which the poet tries to manage his grief.
What does the poem "Those emotions died on that just day" mean?
Those emotions died on that “just day”. The poet uses metaphors of worldliness and sin in the phrase, “world’s and flesh’s rage”. There is a metaphorical reference to “old age” in the poem. The poet uses the most important metaphor in the poem in the phrase, “best piece of poetry”. He refers to his son as a creation of mind rather ...
What does the poet focus on in his poem?
The poet focuses on the eternal quality of art through which a poet and his thoughts can live forever. He compares his son to “his best piece of poetry.”. Thus he gives his son an eternal existence in this poem. The poem is also vivid in the use of imagery.
What is Ben Jonson's tone?
His tone has a cold and calm outlook on the issue of his only son’s death. There is also firmness in his voice when he says, “Here doth lie/ Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.”. It also reflects his passivity regarding death. However, the tone and mood of the poem are interesting enough to incite several questions.
What is the theme of the poem "On My First Son"?
Jad Farha Critical Analysis: On My First Son By: Ben Jonson The entire poem lampoons the theme of an existing paradox between death and joy. Some perceive this poem as a sign of remorse, exhibited by Jonson, for murdering a fellow actor motivated by jealousy. This makes some people assume that he shifted from being a defiled priest to a priest seeking redemption. The previous presumptions are slightly foolish since all throughout his poem Jonson undermines his creator’s demeanor by delineating him as a God that suffers from human emotion such as jealousy, greed, and egocentricity.
What is the literary element of Jonson's sacrilege?
So the latter literary element is a vivid justification of Jonson’s sacrilege for he considers himself in debt and that he can only pay it back through letting go of his son’s life.
Structure
Hall’s ‘My Son, My Executioner’ consists of three quatrains or stanzas having four lines. In the first two stanzas, there is no regular rhyming pattern or meter. The third quatrain is written in the ABAB rhyme scheme. In totality, this piece is in free-verse. Besides, the poem is composed from the perspective of a first-person speaker.
Literary Devices
Hall makes use of the following literary devices in ‘My Son, My Executioner’.
Similar Poems
The following list contains a few poems that tap on similar themes present in Donald Hall’s ‘My Son, My Executioner’.
