Benjamin Jonson

Ben Jonson is the first-person speaker of the poem. While it is usually an incorrect assumption that the speaker is also the poet, in this particular case, Jonson is writing autobiographically about the death of his son, Benjamin. The speaker of the poem is sincere and full of grief, attempting to make sense of why a boy so young (Jonson's son was only seven when he died) could have been taken from his father. At the end of the poem, Jonson calls his son his "best piece of poetry," alluding to his popularity and renown as a poet and playwright (12).

Benjamin Jonson, Jr.

Jonson's son, who died of the plague in 1603, was also named Benjamin. The poem is addressed to him, and is therefore an intimate lament from his father about what the loss means for those still living. Benjamin Jonson, Jr. was only seven years old...