Major Themes - Every Man in His Humour

Major Themes - Every Man in His Humour
Every Man in His Humour popularized the “comedy of humours.” Originally a medical term, “humours” were the fluids believed to regulate the body and by extension the human temperament. The theory, which can be traced to ancient times, is that there are four distinct bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. An imbalance of these fluids, or humours, causes a personality disturbance. In Every Man in His Humour Jonson worked these theories into his drama to great effect—the characters in the work show clear evidence of their individual imbalances of humours. Although Jonson was not the first to employ the idea of humours in a drama, his use of the conceit in Every Man in His Humour is considered exemplary, and such characterization continued to be a feature of his work. Commentators contend that key features of the play are derived from cl**ical drama, particularly from Plautus's comedies in form and structure. Like those plays, the plot centers on an unlikely couple overcoming obstacles—particularly familial and social opposition—to marry. In addition, the concept of a pair of stately, elderly people outwitted by a pair of clever young men can be traced back to Plautine comedy, as can the characters of the cunning servant and the braggart soldier. The work is also considered a predecessor of comic realism on the English stage—Jonson's London audiences recognized the play's characters as fellow citizens, even before Jonson's 1616 revision changed the setting from Florence to London.