Every Man in His Humour Essay Questions

What is a "viaticum’’?

Some of the characters in the play are concerned with the right of a person to be allowed their viaticum. The term is generally used by the Catholic Church and is also referred to as the Holy Communion a person receives just before they die. The practice was so important for the family of the dying person and for the priest that in some cases, when the dying person expired before a priest could arrive, food was put into the dead person’s mouth. The reason why this was so important for many people is because they linked their salvation to the act of receiving the last rites. This gave them the assurance their soul will be accepted in heaven and thus not forced to suffer for eternity. The state of a person’s soul is one of the major themes in the play and thus it is no surprise that the characters express an interest in the fate of their soul after death as well.

What are the "humors’’ mentioned in the play and why are they significant?

The humors are a theory from medieval and Renaissance thought. According to the humors theory, in every human body can be found four liquid elements which have to be in perfect balance with one another for a person to be healthy. Illnesses were considered as being the result of an excess or lack of humors and the doctors of the day tried to bring back the balance by using different methods such as blood-letting or excessive sweating. The four humors were blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm, and they was also linked with the personality traits a person had. Certain afflictions were linked with the excess of humors and it was believed that for example, someone who had an excess of black bile was depressed while someone who had an excess of yellow bile was extremely aggressive. This theory is also mentioned by many characters in the play as being the reason why many characters behave in one way or another.

How do Edward and Wellbred perceive Brainworm and his disguises?

Brainworm's many disguises are not annoying or cumbersome to Edward and Wellbred; rather, they are impressed with him. They see why he's doing what he's doing, that it works in their self-interest, and that it indicates a wit and adaptability that they also value. Matthew Kendrick suggests that Brainworm's behavior is "increasingly depicted as a form of skilled labor rather than as idleness or unwillingness to labor. In marked contrast to Knowell's moralistic condemnation, Edward and Wellbred express genuine respect for Brainworm's protean deception."

What are the various follies Jonson lampoons?

Jonson presents characters who embody the traits of hotheadedness, braggadocio, jealousy, and irrationality. Bobadil and Stephen and Matthew are quick to take offense even when there is none, and are desirous of fighting. Bobadil boasts of his prowess as a soldier but clearly has no skills. Matthew boasts of his skills as a poet but is proven a plagiarizer. Stephen is immature and volatile, and shows that he does not at all deserve to be Knowell's heir. Kitely's misplaced jealousy nearly destroys his relationship with his wife and leads him to doubt his trusted servant. Knowell's assumptions about his son are groundless and lead to fissures, albeit minor, in their relationship.

Why is Knowell so concerned for his son?

Knowell is not too different from many parents who assume that their child is associating with the wrong people, or behaving in deleterious ways. He thinks Wellbred and his associates are louche gallants, that they are not serious, that they are too given to games and smoking and carousing. He wants Edward to be a moral, upstanding young man. The issue is, of course, is that Knowell is old-fashioned and his advanced years preclude him from desiring to understand his son. He doesn't distinguish between youthful fun and legitimately bad behavior, and as Clement tells him blatantly, there's no real issue with Edward. By the end of the play it seems like Knowell has come to at least somewhat of an acceptance of this fact.