What is the theme of Every Man in His Humour?

The play 'Everyman in his Humoir' by Ben Jonson deals with man's everyday drives, motivations and compulsions - or 'humours.' It is one of Jonson's popular city comedies, in which he offers advice on how best to get on and get up the ladder in Elizabethan London, even if that means bigging oneself up or lying a little.

In the comedy a wily slave helps an unruly young lad  to marry the girl of his dremas against his father's wil, and it is in this framework that Jonson has his main plot, the society that he portrays is very contemporary and ordinary. The 'humours' of each character- or their drives - do vary, but they are all similar in one way -they strive to be better, cleverer,nobler, more learned than their actual selves.  Jonson suggests that we all think too highly of ourselves in believing that we are more influential thatn we really are in the world.

What type of play is "Every Man in His Humour"?

Every Man in His Humour by Ben Jonson is a satirical comedy of the type now known as a "humor comedy" or "comedy of humors." Jonson was once credited with introducing this style of comedy into English literature, but George Chapman's A Humorous Day's Mirth is now known to have been performed in 1597, the year before Jonson's play.

The idea of the "humor comedy" is based on the medical theory of humors, which is of ancient origin, and is mentioned in texts attributed to Hippocrates. The theory holds that there are four essential humors or temperaments: phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic, and sanguine. People's characters are mixtures of these humors, and illness is caused by an imbalance or dyscrasia between them.

At the time when Jonson was writing, the theory of humors was still taken seriously in medicine. However, in drama, it meant little more than the idea that a particular character was unbalanced and obsessive in a particular direction. The merchant, Kitely, for instance, is entirely preoccupied with his wife's fidelity, fulfilling the classical comic stereotype of the jealous husband. The squire, Downright is obsessed with his reputation for being plain-spoken and honest. These are not unreasonable concerns, but they are carried to absurd lengths by the characters in question. It is this quality of the play, rather than a precise demonstration of any of the four classical humors, that makes it a typical Renaissance "humor comedy."