Every Man out of His Humour

In Short

This satirical comedy centers on a cast of London eccentrics who cultivate absurd mannerisms and affectations, calling these delusions their "humours." Driven by jealousy, vanity, and social climbing, characters like the envious scholar Macilente, the doting husband Deliro, and the boastful knight Puntarvolo parade their ridiculous habits until escalating trickery and public humiliation collapse their pretensions. As their elaborate fronts crumble, each figure is forced out of their self-absorbed delusion. The play has endured for its fiery linguistic invention, its unflinching critique of performative vanity, and its pioneering development of satirical character types.

The Story

The drama opens with the envious and bitter scholar Macilente, who burns with rage at the unmerited wealth and status enjoyed by fools. Watching prosperous idiots flourish while he starves, he vows to act as a harsh mirror to society, stripping away the ridiculous affectations that his contemporaries label as their "humours."

Among these fools is Sogliardo, a wealthy country bumpkin desperate to transform himself into a refined gentleman. Under the guidance of the tavern parasite Carlo Buffone, Sogliardo journeys to London to buy a coat of arms and hire a retinue of servants, completely oblivious to the fact that he is being mocked and exploited at every step. Meanwhile, the doting merchant Deliro squanders his fortune pampering his haughty wife, Fallace. No matter how many perfumes, flowers, or luxuries Deliro lavishes upon her, Fallace remains contemptuous of her husband while secretly pining after Fastidious Brisk, a vapid courtier obsessed with expensive tailor-made clothes and courtly posturing.

Elsewhere, the fantastical knight Sir Puntarvolo prepares for an absurd continental voyage. To profit off his travels, he places a elaborate financial wager on the safe return of himself, his dog, and his cat, all while subjecting his household to ludicrous, overly stylized chivalric rituals.

Macilente actively maneuvers to cross these disparate threads, stoking envy and exposing deceit wherever he can. When Sogliardo attempts to pass off an impostor as a worldly, multilingual gentleman to impress the court lady Saviolina, the ruse falls apart, exposing the pretender as a common rustic. Fallace’s secret devotion to Brisk leads to disaster when her husband discovers her romantic infatuation, breaking Deliro’s obsessive doting.

The climactic collapse of these delusions occurs in a London tavern. Puntarvolo’s beloved dog is poisoned, ruining his venture and sending him into a violent rage. When the malicious jester Carlo Buffone continues to taunt the heartbroken knight, Puntarvolo physically assaults Carlo and seals the tormentor's lips shut with hot candle wax. The authorities raid the tavern, arresting Fastidious Brisk for the riot and leaving him ruined by his debts to tailors. With their obsessions shattered, their money wasted, and their social masks ripped off, the characters are cured of their ridiculous humours, leaving Macilente satisfied that justice and sanity have been restored to the stage.

How It Unfolds

The mirror is raised The bitter scholar Macilente resolves to expose the corrupt and foolish affectations of his contemporaries. He frames the upcoming spectacles as a necessary remedy to purge society of its vain delusions.

The country bumpkin buys status Sogliardo arrives seeking the trappings of nobility and hires opportunistic advisors to forge a coat of arms. He is guided by parasites who trick him into spending lavishly on empty symbols of gentry.

Domestic dotage and courtly vanity Deliro smothers his ungrateful wife Fallace with extravagant gifts, while Fallace ignores him to chase the fashion-obsessed courtier Fastidious Brisk. Macilente watches this dynamics with sharp contempt, plotting to shatter the husband's blind devotion.

The knight's absurd wager Sir Puntarvolo plans an overseas expedition funded by a bizarre venture contract tied to the survival of his pets. He subjects his wife and servants to rigid, overly ceremonial performances of romance and chivalry.

Exposing the courtly frauds A group of conspirators attempts to fool the witty court lady Saviolina by presenting a crude rustic as a refined traveler. The trick backfires when the gentleman’s true nature is laid bare before the court.

The tavern disaster and purging Tensions boil over in a tavern where Puntarvolo’s dog is killed, prompting the knight to seal the lips of the mocking jester Carlo Buffone with hot wax. Officers raid the establishment, dragging Brisk off to debtor's prison and forcing every character out of their prevailing humour.

The People

• Macilente: A brilliant but impoverished scholar consumed by intense envy of wealthy fools. He acts as the driving engine of the plot, manipulating events to expose everyone's flaws until his own bitterness is appeased.
• Sogliardo: A wealthy, naive country farmer who desperately wants to be recognized as a gentleman. What stands in his way is his complete lack of wit, making him an easy target for urban sharpers who sell him fake coats of arms.
• Fastidious Brisk: A superficial courtier whose entire identity revolves around expensive apparel, courtly slang, and fencing tales. His vanity leads him into crushing debt, ending with his arrest in a tavern brawl.
• Deliro: An affluent merchant blindly devoted to his disdainful wife. He tries to buy her affection with constant gifts, only to have his illusions shattered when her deceit is revealed.
• Fallace: Deliro’s haughty wife who despises her husband's worshipful nature. She seeks romantic validation from the empty-headed Fastidious Brisk, ultimately bringing shame upon her household.
• Sir Puntarvolo: An eccentric, old-fashioned knight addicted to elaborate chivalric rituals and grand wagers. His rigid posturing collapses when his pet is killed and he violently turns on his tormentors.
• Carlo Buffone: A cynical tavern scoffer who feeds off the vanity of others, offering backhanded advice while secretly mocking them until his sharp tongue gets him physically silenced.

In Its Own Voice

"My strict hand was made to seize on vice, and with a gripe squeeze out the humour of such spongy souls, as lick up every idle vanity."

Macilente vows to act as a ruthless moral censor who will crush the silly affectations of society.

"I have better means, I tell thee, than to take such base courses, as to live by my wits."

Sogliardo proudly declares his wealth to Macilente, utterly failing to realize he is insulting his own intelligence.

"To the perfection of compliment... are required these three specials; the gnomon, the puntilios, and the superficies."

Sir Puntarvolo greets a simple waiting-gentlewoman at a window with absurdly inflated, pseudo-philosophical courtly rhetoric.

What It's Really About

At its core, the play explores the tension between authentic identity and performative vanity. It interrogates how individuals adopt artificial mannerisms—disguised under the fashionable vocabulary of "humours"—to climb social ladders or mask personal inadequacies. The narrative argues that unchecked ego and obsessive materialism corrupt human judgment, making people eager participants in their own exploitation. Through the envious vantage point of Macilente, it questions whether society can ever voluntarily correct its foolishness without the application of harsh, public humiliation.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy sharp satire, historical linguistics, and dark observational comedy will find a treasure trove here. The play offers an unfiltered, highly energetic window into early modern London's tavern life, fashion crazes, and social anxieties.

However, modern readers should prepare for significant hurdles. The play is notoriously dense, relying heavily on Elizabethan slang, obsolete heraldic terminology, fencing jargon, and complex classical allusions. Its episodic structure prioritizes character sketches and verbal sparring over a traditional, fast-paced plot. The archaic vocabulary—filled with terms like "cullisen," "frapler," and "rodomontado"—requires patience or a well-annotated edition to fully decode.

What stays with you is the startling modern resonance of its targets. Jonson’s depiction of people spending fortunes to project an image of luxury, adopting superficial speech trends, and desperately seeking social clout feels remarkably contemporary. The dramatic satisfaction comes from watching these unbearable snobs get their ultimate comeuppance.