On My First

Daughter
Study Guide by Course Hero

"On My First Daughter" is written in the present tense.

What's Inside
ABOUT THE TITLE
"On My First Daughter" is a poem written in memory of Ben
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1 Jonson's infant daughter who died in 1593 when she was six
months old. Infant mortality was common but no less tragic
d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1 during the time in which Jonson wrote this poem.

a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 2

h Characters .................................................................................................. 3
d In Context
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 4

c Plot Analysis ............................................................................................... 4

Game of Faiths
g Quotes ........................................................................................................... 6
Jonson lived during a time when the faith of the country was
l Symbols ........................................................................................................ 7
based on the faith of the current king. In several of his works,
m Themes ......................................................................................................... 8 Jonson satirizes this practice and as a result found himself
being called before the courts. Both Sejanus, His Fall (1603)
b Narrative Voice ......................................................................................... 8 and Eastward Ho (1604) resulted in a summons to court.
Jonson was under scrutiny after the 1605 Gunpowder Plot
because Jonson was Catholic at a time when the current king
was Protestant. The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt by
j Book Basics Catholics to depose King James I (1566–1625) and place a
Catholic king on the throne. It failed but authorities were
AUTHOR paranoid about who might have been involved and whether
Ben Jonson such an occurrence may happen again.

YEAR PUBLISHED
1616
War of the Theaters
GENRE
Jonson was a very learned individual and often used his words
Tragedy
to poke fun at his fellow playwrights. This tendency frequently
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR led to heated arguments between theaters. Jonson satirized
"On My First Daughter" is written as an elegy for the author's writers Thomas Dekker (1572–1632 ) and John Marston
infant daughter who died. It is told from the father's point of (1576–1634) in his play The Poetaster (1601). In the play he
view. depicts both men as unintelligent and for sale to the highest
bidder. This play resulted in Dekker and Marston joining forces
TENSE to write their own play in which they lambasted Jonson as vain
On My First Daughter Study Guide Author Biography 2

and a comical fool. The feuds were good for business and the
writers soon reconciled. They all collaborated on a well-
Young Adulthood
received play called The King's Entertainment (1604). It was
When Jonson was 22 years old he met and married Anne
Marston and Jonson who produced Eastward Ho which landed
Lewis. They were married in 1594 but already had one child in
all men in front of a judge for sedition.
1593. Their first child was a daughter named Mary. It is this
daughter for whom Jonson wrote the poem "On My First
Daughter." Mary died when she was six months old. Ben and
Royal Patronage Anne would have two more children who lived. Little else is
known about Jonson's family or their life. Five years after
In the 17th century, it was common for royal families to retain
Mary's death, Jonson wrote his first successful play. The play
the services of musicians, artists, and writers. When a person
was titled Every Man in His Humor (1598). This play had the
was bestowed the honor of patronage, it meant that they
distinction of featuring William Shakespeare (1564–1616) as
would create work only for that patron. The patron in return
one of the lead actors.
paid the artist a monthly wage and often gave them a room
within the court in which to live. While on the royal payroll, an
artist was required to only produce content that was pleasing
Jonson and the Law
and non-controversial in nature. Jonson broke this rule several
times. He almost lost his position as royal poet and playwright In the 17th century, writers were imprisoned if the work they
when he wrote Eastward Ho (1604) because it made fun of the produced was considered seditious by the local authorities.
Scots. King James I did not view this play favorably because he Seditious works were those that questioned authority and
was of Scottish ancestry. caused people to rebel against the government or monarchy.
Ben Jonson and Thomas Nashe (1567–1601) wrote Isle of Dogs
in 1597, and the play was considered seditious. A year later in
a Author Biography 1598, Jonson was arrested shortly after the opening of his play
Every Man in His Humor (1598) for killing a man in a duel.
Jonson suffered a series of strokes in 1628 that left him Jonson was convicted of the murder, but he was offered a
confined to his bed. He died on August 8, 1637, though experts lenient sentence because he could read and write. However, all
do not agree on the reason for his death. Thousands of people of his possessions were confiscated and he received a convict
attended Ben Jonson's funeral. He is buried at Westminster brand on his thumb. He was released from prison two weeks
Abbey. Burial at Westminster Abbey was a high honor and was later but was arrested again because he failed to pay one of
reserved only for important figures in England's history. his actors.
Friends published Jonson's last play Sad Shepherd's Tale
(1641) after his death.
Royal Favor
Early Life King James I (1566–1625) and his successor King Charles I
(1600–49) appreciated Jonson's plays. King James I granted
Ben Jonson was born in London, England, on June 11, 1572. Jonson the role of royal poet and playwright for 15 years.
Jonson's father died before he was born, and Jonson was During this time Jonson wrote many plays for the king including
raised by his mother and her new husband. When he was old The Masque of Blackness (1605), Volpone (1606), The Silent
enough, he attended St. Martin's school for primary education Woman (1609), the Alchemist (1610), and Bartholomew Fair
and Westminster school for higher education. He did not finish (1614). He received a large annual income of 100 marks for
his time at Westminster but dropped out in 1589 to work with these services. Marks were the equivalent of dollars. Many
his stepfather as a bricklayer. He stopped working for his historians consider Jonson to be the first Poet Laureate of
stepfather and entered the military around the year 1592. In England because of this income.
1594 he ended his time with the military to work for the Philip
Henslowe Theater Company.

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On My First Daughter Study Guide Characters 3

The Tribe of Ben

Jonson had a large following because of King James's
patronage. His followers called themselves the Tribe of Ben.
This club met often at either the Mermaid Tavern or the Devil's
Head Tavern. It was an exclusive club that consisted of many
of London's elite including the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle
William Cavendish (1593–1676) and Margaret Cavendish
(1623–73) and famous writers such as Richard Lovelace
(1618–57) and Robert Herrick (1591–1674). Jonson was friends
with William Shakespeare (1594–1616), the former Lord
Chancellor Francis Bacon (1591–1674), and John Donne
(1572–1631).

Death
Jonson suffered a series of strokes in 1628 that left him
confined to his bed. He died on August 8, 1637, though experts
do not agree on the reason for his death. Thousands of people
attended Ben Jonson's funeral. He is buried at Westminster
Abbey. Burial at Westminster Abbey was a high honor and was
reserved only for important figures in England's history.
Friends published Jonson's last play Sad Shepherd's Tale
(1641) after his death.

h Characters

Ben Jonson
In the poem "On My First Daughter," the English poet Ben
Jonson stands beside a freshly-made grave and mourns the
loss of his 6-month-old daughter Mary. He is heartbroken over
her death. However, he attempts to find solace in his belief that
he and his daughter will be reunited in heaven.

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On My First Daughter Study Guide Plot Summary 4

grave of their dead child Mary. It is also clear that the parents
Full Character List are both very young because Line 2 states that Mary was "the
daughter of their youth." Line 3 indicates the father's attempt
Character Description to comfort himself with his belief in his faith. The father
continues with this vein of thought in Line 4. He believes that
Ben Jonson is a bereaved and grieving his daughter was sent from heaven and that because of this
Ben Jonson
father. she was never really his to keep. Heaven gave her life and it
was heaven's right to call it back. The father takes comfort
Mary is the deceased infant daughter from his religion, but at the same time he is bitter about her
Mary
of Ben Jonson and Anne Jonson. loss.

The Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus

The Virgin Mary
in the Christian faith. Lines 5–6
Lines 5–6 of "On My First Daughter" indicate Mary's age at her

k Plot Summary death. The briefness of her life is reflected in the structure of
the poem which employs six rhyming couplets to match the six
months Mary lived on earth. The poem is short just as Mary's
Ben Jonson writes of the death of his daughter Mary in 12 life was short. In Line 6 the father attempts to console himself
short lines. "On My First Daughter" takes place at the child's with the knowledge that she was innocent and without blemish.
grave as evidenced by the line "Here lies." The bereaved father This word choice suggests his religious belief in heaven and
states that Mary was the joy of her youthful parents and that the Catholic belief that innocent children who have been
she was a gift from heaven. He utilizes the word "ruth" which is baptized are automatically accepted into heaven.
an old word meaning "sorrow." The opening image depicts two
parents standing by their baby's grave. Their sorrow is
complete. As the father struggles through his grief, he arrives Lines 7–10
at the conclusion that gifts from heaven must eventually be
returned. However, he acknowledges that he resents having to The poet returns to his daughter's name and suggests that
do so. He consoles himself with the fact that Mary had been because her name is the same as the Virgin Mary's "whose
baptized at the church prior to her death, and it gives him soul heaven's queen, whose name she bears," she will be given
comfort to know that she is safe in heaven. He imagines that a special place in heaven. A glaring return to the family left on
the Virgin Mary the mother of Jesus has welcomed his infant earth to grieve is juxtaposed with this thought of heaven.
daughter into her collection of special souls. His daughter Jonson's daughter is wrapped "in comfort of her mother's
Mary's body may be buried in the ground, but he has hope that tears" which brings the focus back to the gravesite. Lines 9
her soul will be reborn. However, he still grieves the fact that and 10 similarly contrast the emotions of hope and sorrow with
his child has died and he and her mother are severed from ever "hath placed amongst her virgin-train / where while that
knowing her in this life. severed doth remain." The choice of the word "severed" is
notable because it indicates an abrupt removal and distance.
Something that was there is no longer present. Something that
c Plot Analysis was a part of the whole is gone.

Lines 1–4 Lines 11–12

Jonson ends the poem by focusing fully on earthly grief and
The setting of the poem is introduced in Line 1 with "Here lies,
loss. There is no return to the hopefulness of his faith. As a
to each her parents' ruth / Mary, the daughter of their youth."
father he is not yet able to come to terms with the fact that
This line depicts an image of two parents standing over the

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On My First Daughter Study Guide Plot Analysis 5

"this grave partakes the fleshly birth" and that his child is were a socially acceptable way to express grief or reflections
buried in the ground. He begs the earth to "cover lightly" this on the afterlife. Jonson's daughter died when she was just six
daughter that he loved. months old and there are six rhyming couplets in the poem.
The entire poem's structure and form seem to be Jonson's way
of symbolizing his daughter and how short her life was.
Structure and Style
Jonson's use of two sets of rhyming couplets is evident in the Repetition
poem's first four lines. This pattern is repeated throughout the
poem. Rhymes happen at the end of each line such as in "Here Poets use repetition to underscore an important feeling, event,
lies, to each her parents' ruth / Mary, the daughter of their or object. In "On My First Daughter," Ben Jonson repeats the
youth." Jonson employs an end stop technique which contains words "ruth" and "rue." These words both mean sorrow and
a complete phrase that does not change meaning with the indicate the depth of the father's grief. The word "heaven" is
phrase that follows. Jonson's use of this technique is also repeated. It appears in Line 3 and again in Line 7. It
deliberate because it adds to the father's sense of sorrow and emphasizes the father's hope and belief that his daughter is in
his contemplation about death and heaven. heaven. All of the repeated words viewed together present the
author's competing feelings about his daughter's death. He is
"On My First Daughter" is written in iambic tetrameter. This devastated by her death but holds onto the comfort of his faith
technique was commonly used in the 17th century. Iambic that she is in a better place.
tetrameter has four iambs. An iamb is a group of two syllables
where the first syllable is unstressed and the second stressed.
The definable pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables in
each line is predictable with a few exceptions. Jonson plays
with this structure a bit as evidenced in the opening line where
he deviates with two stresses in a row in "Here lies, to each her
parents' ruth." This deviation from the pattern indicates that in
his own life there has been a deviation from the pattern of his
life.

Line 2 bends the structure of the poem with a small and very
short sentence made up of a stressed syllable followed by an
unstressed syllable. This purposeful shortening and abrupt
length of the line "Mary, the daughter of their youth" represent
Mary and her short life. This disruption in the pattern occurs
each time the author names his daughter or refers to the
grave. It is utilized to indicate the author's grief and that all
attempts to present a logical and comforting reason for her
loss continue to be interrupted by her death. The disrupted
pattern reflects the depth of the father's grief. Despite the
occurrences where Jonson alters the pattern, the meter of the
poem is quite steady. It is tightly controlled and logical in
nature with its end stops and end rhyming.

The poem is short at only one stanza of 12 lines. This one

stanza is broken into six rhyming couplets. Many poems
written as a memorial for someone use the form of couplets.
"On My First Daughter" is such a poem and is often referred to
as an elegy. Elegies were very popular in the 17th century and

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On My First Daughter Study Guide Quotes 6

— Ben Jonson
g Quotes
Jonson acknowledges that he knows his daughter is in heaven
and that he should be grateful to have had the time he did with
"Here lies, to each her parents'
his daughter. The word "rue" means sorrow. Knowing his
ruth." daughter is safe in heaven should console him. Jonson
attempts to comfort himself but he is still not able to feel
— Ben Jonson better.

Ben Jonson utilizes the word "ruth" in the first line of the poem
to indicate his sorrow. "Ruth" is an old word meaning grief and
"At six months' end she parted
sorrow. The use of the words "Here lies" evokes the words hence."
usually written on a tombstone and indicates that he and his
wife are standing by the grave of their daughter. The opening
— Ben Jonson
line sets the tone for the poem.

Jonson gives his daughter's age at her death. Mary died when
she was six months old and too young to have had a chance to
"Mary, the daughter of their youth."
really live. The use of the phrase "parted hence" indicates his
belief that he will one day see her again in heaven. Her death is
— Ben Jonson not a final goodbye but a simple parting.

There are many things the speaker might have said about his
daughter. Choosing to call her the "daughter of their youth" is "With safety of her innocence."
notable because it indicates the happiness and carefree nature
of love and life. Mary's death has aged the speaker and his
— Ben Jonson
wife, and the carefree life they experienced is gone.

Mary died as an infant without sin which means she had not
lived long enough to commit any evil acts. In Jonson's faith this
"Yet all heaven's gifts being
meant that Mary would go straight to heaven and would not be
heaven's due." judged. The phrase "safety of her innocence" is another way of
saying that Mary was a pure soul.
— Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson attempts to comfort himself. In his religion, all life

"Whose soul heaven's queen,
is given by God. Therefore, God also has the right to take it whose name she bears."
away. The use of the word "due" makes God's ability to recall
life more like a transaction than a tragic death. Jonson
— Ben Jonson
attempts to console himself with his faith but is not quite able
to do so yet.
In an attempt to comfort himself, Jonson muses on the idea
that his child is sitting at the feet of the Virgin Mary. His
daughter Mary "whose name she bears" will surely be
"It makes the father less to rue."
welcomed with open arms and live in paradise.

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On My First Daughter Study Guide Symbols 7

conclusion to her time on earth. The ground has swallowed her

"In comfort of mother's tears."
body, but Jonson suggests a second life is still to come for his
daughter.
— Ben Jonson

Jonson believes that though he and his wife mourn their "Which cover lightly, gentle earth."
daughter, they draw comfort from the thought that she is in
heaven and safe. The phrase "mother's tears" contrasts the
— Ben Jonson
notion of comfort. However, as a practicing Catholic, Jonson
may be leaning upon his faith and the story of Jesus's mother
Mary. She also suffered the loss of a child and must therefore The thought of his daughter's body covered in a grave strikes
understand the depth of their own sorrow. Jonson to the core, and he begs the earth to cover his
daughter lightly.

"Hath placed amongst her virgin-

train." l Symbols
— Ben Jonson

The Virgin Mary

The phrase "virgin-train" is a reference to the heavenly Virgin
Mary. Jonson asserts that she will surely accept Jonson's
daughter Mary as part of her place in heaven. The Virgin Mary
The Virgin Mary is mentioned several times in reference to Ben
and the daughter Mary are pure, innocent, and virginal.
Jonson's daughter. Not only does the Virgin Mary represent
innocence and purity, but she also shares a name with
Jonson's daughter. Jonson attempts to comfort himself by
"Where, while that severed doth suggesting that "heaven's queen" will give his daughter a place
on her "virgin-train" because of the child's pure soul and lack of
remain."
sin. Sin occurs when a person chooses to purposely do
something of an evil nature. Jonson's daughter was so young
— Ben Jonson
that she had not lived long enough to commit an evil act.

Jonson refers to the body of his child lying in the grave. He is

stricken with grief because he and his wife have been severed
from having her in their lives. The loss of the child is like the Earth
severing of a limb and leaves them both feeling as though an
important part of their lives is missing.
When someone is buried, dirt is pulled over them like a blanket.
Jonson uses this implied symbol to represent the harsh
"This grave partakes the fleshly separation between his daughter and himself. He likens the
grave to something that devours and eats. It is a grave that
birth." "partakes the fleshly birth" and leaves nothing. Jonson
attempts to reconcile his daughter's death with his religious
— Ben Jonson beliefs by saying, "heaven's gifts being heaven's due." However,
it is clear from his later use of the word "severed" that he is not

Mary's earthly birth or life has ended and the grave brings a fully comforted.

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On My First Daughter Study Guide Themes 8

makes the father less to rue" in an attempt to draw some

m Themes comfort and make sense of his infant daughter's death. He
continues on in this thought process by reminding himself that
since she died "at six months' end," she died "with safety of her

Sorrow innocence." Jonson assures himself that she had no sin to be

forgiven because she lived such a short life. He begins to draw
comfort from the thought that his daughter Mary is in heaven
with Jesus's mother. Both his daughter and Mary the mother of
Sorrow is a powerful theme throughout Ben Jonson's poem Jesus share the same name, and Jonson imagines his daughter
"On My First Daughter." Some types of sorrow are so difficult living in heaven with her.
to bear that the speaker believes not even his faith can ease
the pain. This sorrow felt by both parents is addressed at the
beginning of the poem in the line "Here lies, to each her
parents' ruth." The word "ruth" is an old word meaning sorrow. Death and Loss
Words that describe various forms of grief are used
throughout the first four lines of the poem. Jonson does this to
emphasize the level and depth of his and his wife's grief over
Jonson attempts to deal with the death and loss of his first
the loss of their daughter.
child within the poem "On My First Daughter." He illustrates the
war that goes on between his faith and the devastating grief he
The speaker is reminded of his loss each time he tries to
feels. The use of the word "Yet" in Line 3 indicates this struggle
comfort himself and his wife with the knowledge that their child
as he admits to himself that "heaven's gifts are heaven's due."
is in heaven. Jonson's use of the word "due" indicates that he
This line follows the mention of his daughter Mary and the fact
understands that all children are on loan from God. They can
that she was his and his wife's first child who was born to them
be recalled at any time. His bitterness shows through when he
when they were both quite young themselves. Jonson
says, "Yet all heaven's gifts being heaven's due." The word
indicates throughout the poem that no matter how much faith
"due" also brings to mind a financial transaction and likens
can be a comfort, it is not enough in times such as this.
Mary's death to an emotionless recall of a product. Jonson
purposely utilizes this word to indicate his bitterness at the
The pain the speaker feels is tragic, and the knowledge that
senseless death. Jonson is a man of faith and knows he should
Mary's soul is gone and "that severed doth remain" continues
be grateful for the time he had with his daughter, but he is still
to remind him of the loss. Choosing the word "severed" evokes
upset with God for allowing her to die.
a feeling of losing something vital such as a limb. The absence
of it leaves him crippled. Jonson understands intellectually that
he is not the only person to ever suffer the death of a child.

The Comfort of Religion However, he acknowledges the special kind of pain that
accompanies the death of one so young. Mary was their first
and only child at the time, so the loss was keenly felt. With this
poem Jonson shows how the bereaved truly feel even if they
Jonson was a practicing Catholic at the time when his put on a brave face to the outside world.
daughter died. Christian allusions run throughout the poem
from "heaven's gifts being heaven's due" to "heaven's queen,
whose name she bears." Jonson creates a juxtaposition
between moments of comfort and moments of extreme sorrow b Narrative Voice
and bitterness whenever he recalls the comfort that should be
afforded him and his wife. The death of his daughter is so fresh In "On My First Daughter," Ben Jonson writes about the loss of
in his mind that even the comfort of his faith is not enough to his first daughter when she was an infant. The poem is told in
ease his grief. the first person and plumbs the depths of grief and hope. "On
My First Daughter" is quite short. The poet made it short on
Jonson states "yet all heaven's gifts being heaven's due / It

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On My First Daughter Study Guide Themes 9

purpose to indicate a life cut short. Jonson works through his

grief and tries to provide comfort to those who loved his
daughter Mary.

The stark reality and finality of death are made apparent with
the choice of the words "here lies, to each her parents' ruth."
This sorrowful phrase sets the tone for the entire poem.
Jonson weaves the thread of grief from the opening image to
the last. The poem is told as if the reader were also standing at
the gravesite.

Jonson uses a third-person narrative voice to distance himself

from his grief so that he can try to make sense of it. However,
it is clear he is not able to ease the terrible feelings of grief and
loss despite his faith. Reminding the reader that the Virgin
Mary also lost a son and that now Jonson's child is with the
heavenly mother does little to ease his pain at the loss. This
battle he has waged to try and distance himself from this loss
begins to come to a close. He tries to comfort himself with the
idea that his daughter was without sin and was a completely
innocent soul. He believes this ensures his child's admittance
into heaven.

All of Jonson's attempts at comfort lead him to an acceptance

of his daughter's death as evidenced by the poem drawing the
reader's attention away from spiritual ideas. In the final lines of
this short poem, Jonson brings the reader's attention back to
the stark reality of the grave which he admonishes to "cover
lightly, gentle earth!" This tone suggests that he still feels pain
but it is now more bearable.

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