friends and financially by the King. On August 6, 1637 Ben Jonson died from a combination of complications resulting from his stroke (Barish,58). Jonson was buried in the historic Westminster Abby under a concrete slab engraved, O Rare Ben Jonson!(The Life of Ben Jonson).Following Jonsons death, his admirers and friends contributed to the collection of memorial eulogies, entitled Jonsonus Virbius published in 1638(The Life of Ben Jonson). Despite Jonsons death, the world still had one more play to experience. Sad Shepherds Tale, was his last play that was unfinished by his death. It was posthumously published in 1641.Despite all of Ben Jonsons apparent failures and despite his frequent feuds, he was the dean and leader of a group of writers. These young poets would meet at Mermaid Tavern in the Cheapside district of London were they became known as the Sons of Ben, later called the Cavalier Poets (the Life of Ben Jonson). The Sons included such great writers as Robert Herrick, Thomas Larew, Sir John Suckling, and Richard Lovelace to name a few (The Life of Ben Jonson). For a man who never received a true University education; his writing made and impact for many years and generations.From the beginning, the stage was only a form of financial support for Jonson because he only aspired to be a pure poet (Poetry Ben Jonson). Ben Jonson cannot in fact be considered only a poet because his playwrights hold a prominent place in history and theatre. Ben Jonson is an icon in theatrical history and literature (Ben Jonson), and he is also known as a master of comedies. With his mixture of personal prestige, the extraordinary number of his friends and enemies, and maybe the fact that we know little about him, Ben Johnson is considered by many to be one of the most eccentric playwrights ever....
