Rivals in life,and in legacy, Ben Jonson is a playwright who gave Shakespeare a run for his money. Some of Ben Jonson’s extravagancy on the stage and creativity as an artist is even said to have influenced how Shakespeare chose to stage some of his own plays, with the two men being linked in anecdote after anecdote when you study history. Obviously aquaintances, colleagues, and contemporaries, but was Ben Jonson friends with William Shakespeare? And what can we learn about the bard from our study of Jonson?

Today, our guide into the life of William Shakespeare is Helen Ostovich. Helen has been studying William Shakespeare, and Jonson in particular, for many years and would likely agree that Ben Jonson has become a friend to her for how much she knows about him. Helen is professor emerita if McMasters University and author of several publications that focus on the life of work of Ben Jonson.

We are very glad to have her here today to talk with us about the life of Shakespeare’s closest contemporary: Ben Jonson.

In this episode, I’ll be asking Helen about :

• Was Ben Jonson Shakespeare's best friend?
• What impact did Jonson's work have on William Shakespeare?
• Why wasn’t Ben Jonson executed for any of his arrests?
  ...and more!