Sons of Ben: Their Influence on Each Other

The English Renaissance era was the birthplace of many writers inspired by the artistic and cultural movement that was taking place within the 15th and 17th century. Within this period, there was a little place called the Mermaid Tavern, right in the heart of London. Here, a group of men, who would later become some of the most talked about writers from the Renaissance era, would gather around and talk about literature. This network of friends was led by the famous Ben Jonson, so it comes to no surprise the group would acquire the name Sons of Ben. During these informal meetings, these writers would discuss their views on literature, what influences them, and how they can influence each other. Sir John Suckling and Robert Herrick were just some of the men who participated in the group and grew to be considered some of America’s finest writers.

The core of the Sons of Ben was the famous Ben Jonson, Shakespeare’s most talked about rival and friend at the time. Jonson’s work revolved primarily around the emerging urban society. He often wrote about intelligence in the form of understanding, rejecting narrow mindedness, fanaticism, extremism, and snobbery. Jonson was considered a cavalier poet, someone who aimed to express the joy and simple gratification of celebratory things much livelier than the traditional works of their predecessors. The intent of their works was often to promote the crown, specifically King Charles I (definition courtesy of Wikipedia). In fact, Jonson was so into the idea of cavalier poetry, he etched the phrase Leges Conviviales, meaning ‘Rules of Conviviality’ above the mantelpiece in the room where the Sons of Ben would gather. This was the only formal “rule” for the followers and it was a rule that went u...

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...the poem’s short refined versus that are fairly simple and generally easygoing, which is a characteristic of cavalier writing. Like Sir John Suckling, Robert Herrick found his style of writing during his time with Sons of Ben.

In conclusion, the British Renaissance period brought about many fabulous writers each with their own unique style of writing. One of these styles was cavalier poetry. Writer Ben Jonson was a famous advocate of cavalier poetry imposed these writing ideas on his followers through meetings at a local tavern. This group of men was to be known later as the Son of Ben and they included famous poets such as Sir John Suckling and Robert Herrick. These men wrote about living in the moment and being open minded. This is definitely a style that is widely used today and we can only thank these 17th century writers for introducing it to the mainstream.