1. On My First Sonne
by Ben Jonson
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2. The Poet
Ben Jonson ( ) was an actor, playwright and a poet at the same time as Shakespeare.
His reputation was greater than Shakespeare’s during his life
His son died at a young age
He was convicted of murdering a fellow actor, Gabriel Spencer, but escaped punishment by claiming holy orders
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3. The poem
The poem is an elegy which is a mournful poem written to lament the dead
In it Jonson contrasts his sadness with what his faith teaches he should feel, joy
Jonson’s strong Christian faith comes through in this poem
The speaker in the poem is most definitely Jonson himself
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4. The poem Themes: Parent-child relationships) Death of a child Guilt
Loss
Religion/Faith
Key terms:
Monologue
Rhyming Couplets
Enjambment & End-stopping
Iambic pentameter
Epitaph
Extended metaphor
Contrast/Paradox
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5. What is the poet saying and to whom?
Stresses the importance of the child
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  O, could I loose all father, now. For why Will man lament the state he should envie? To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,  And, if no other miserie, yet age?  Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye Ben. Jonson his best piece of poetrie. For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,  As what he loves may never like too much.
Religious image: Jesus sits at the right hand of God. This emphasises not just the poet’s view of the son but also his religious nature
The language used clearly shows his love for his son
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6. ‘fate’ used as an instrument of God, it can’t be helped.
‘just’ he sees it as fair, would you agree?
What is the poet’s sin? Is he to blame for his son’s death?
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  O, could I loose all father, now. For why Will man lament the state he should envie? To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,  And, if no other miserie, yet age?  Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye Ben. Jonson his best piece of poetrie. For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,  As what he loves may never like too much.
The boy’s life is a ‘loan’ from God which must be repaid.
The extended metaphor is that all people belong to God. What does this tell us of the poet?
The church had very strict rules in the 17th Century. Your relationship with your loved ones should have been seen as second to your relationship with God. Maybe Jonson feels that his relationship with God was not as it should have been and that as a result, God has taken his son away?
FACT: Jonson’s son was also called Benjamin and this Hebrew name means ‘child of my right hand’
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7. He has lost being a father with the death of his son
‘father’ is lost or he wants to lose a ‘father’. Who could this father be?
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  O, could I loose all father, now. For why Will man lament the state he should envie? To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,  And, if no other miserie, yet age?  Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye Ben. Jonson his best piece of poetrie. For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,  As what he loves may never like too much.
‘father’ could be God; is Jonson struggling with or questioning his faith?
Again, questioning the contrast he feels. He is upset but his faith tells him to be pleased that his son has returned to God and heaven
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8. He imagines his son would have had a happy life with old age his only misery
His questioning/wondering continues, he should be pleased that his son has escaped the ‘rage’ of the world and the flesh
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  O, could I loose all father, now. For why Will man lament the state he should envie? To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,  And, if no other miserie, yet age?  Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye Ben Jonson his best piece of poetrie. For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,  As what he loves may never like too much.
Jonson blames himself in the opening of the poem. Is he now trying to relieve his guilt and comfort himself with the notion of a ‘better place’ for his son or is he genuinely questioning his faith? Could it be both?
End-stopping with question marks stresses the confused, questioning nature in this section of the poem
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9. He links his son to his poetry.
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  O, could I loose all father, now. For why Will man lament the state he should envie? To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,  And, if no other miserie, yet age?  Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye Ben Jonson his best piece of poetrie. For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,  As what he loves may never like too much.
He links his son to his poetry.
His two creations
The greatest of which is his son
An epitaph for his son?
Laying to rest his own grief and guilt?
His ‘best piece of poetry’
Could this be praise of God for a wonderful creation?
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10. For his son’s or God’s sake?
Links back to the poet’s earlier admission of sin, he promises not to make the same mistake again. Could this be a plea for another chance or a warning to others or a guard against being hurt again?
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  O, could I loose all father, now. For why Will man lament the state he should envie? To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,  And, if no other miserie, yet age?  Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye Ben Jonson his best piece of poetrie. For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,  As what he loves may never like too much.
For his son’s or God’s sake?
Vows are traditionally promises to God
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11. Is this a conversation with his son?
Written in iambic pentameter, the most popular metre of the time. Does it lend a conversational or informal tone?
Is this a prayer to God?
Is this a conversation with his son?
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  O, could I loose all father, now. For why Will man lament the state he should envie? To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,  And, if no other miserie, yet age?  Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye Ben Jonson his best piece of poetrie. For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,  As what he loves may never like too much.
What evidence can you find to support either view?
Written as a monologue, suggesting inner thoughts and personal reflection or possibly prayer
Enjambment gives this a grief-stricken, rambling feel
Could this poem be said to be as much about Jonson’s father/son relationship with God as with his own son?
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12. Comparisons Song of the old mother First person monologue
OMFS uses the poet’s voice whereas Song is fictional
Youth and age/parent child
Both lament lost youth
Song could be seen as bitter towards youth whereas OMFS idolises the youth that will never grow
Mid-term Break
Father-son relationships
Grief and loss of a relative
Different reactions to grief
Can you add any more possible comparisons?
Can you think of any other poems to use?
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13. Review What do you do when sad things happen?
Do we reach for some sort of faith or explanation
Do we turn away from these?
This poem is written from the viewpoint of the father. You will all be someone's child but won’t have your own children yet.
Does this affect the way you read the poem?
Do you see it from the poet's point of view, or identify with the child who has died?
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