Soul of the age! The applause, delight, the wonder of our stage! My Shakespeare, rise; I will not lodge thee by Chaucer or Spenser, or bid Beaumont lie A little further, to make thee a room; Thou art a monument, without a tomb, And art alive still, while thy book doth live, And we have wits to read, and praise to give.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Jonson praises Shakespeare as the pinnacle of their era, asserting his immortality through his written work.
- In plain terms
- Shakespeare is the greatest of his time and lives on through his books and the minds of readers.
- What can you take from it?
- Great writing allows an author to live forever in the hearts of readers.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a work endure over time?
- Who are the giants in your own field?
Another view
The praise is so specific to the Elizabethan era it may feel distant to modern readers.
More from Ben Jonson
Whilst that for which all virtue now is sold, And almost every vice - almighty gold.
Permalink to quote #31 He was not of an age, but for all time.
Permalink to quote #33 Not to know vice at all, and keep true state, Is virtue, and not fate: Next to that virtue is to know vice well, And her black spite expel.
Permalink to quote #30
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