Every Man in His Humour is set in the bustling city of London during the Elizabethan era. London was a thriving metropolis in the late 16th century, teeming with people from various social classes. This boisterous urban setting plays a crucial role in shaping the narrative of the play, which portrays characters bumping into each other as they go about their daily business in the city’s crowded streets. Throughout the play, Jonson offers a satirical cross-section of the city as he knew it, highlighting the complex interactions between social classes.
The play is not confined to a single location but rather spans different parts of the city, allowing for a diverse array of settings. Scenes move from the private households of the upper classes, staffed by maids, butlers, and other servants, to the more boisterous and lively public spaces in working class parts of London such as Shoreditch, where the play itself was first performed in 1598. Another neighborhood featured extensively in the play is the Old Jewry, a financial center associated with London’s historical Jewish population. The inclusion of various real locations from Elizabethan London allows Jonson to make a pointed satire of the local fashions and extreme social stratification of his era.
One prominent setting within the play is the Windmill Tavern, likely based upon the Mermaid Tavern, a real and popular establishment of the time, frequented by Jonson and other playwrights. This tavern serves as a meeting place for the characters and becomes a hub of activity, where the play’s various sub-plots intersect. In addition to the use of specific locations within London, the dialogue is rife with further references to contemporary London landmarks and street names, immersing the audience in the urban landscape of the time.
