Every man out of his humour

the long version

"Jonson's Every Man Out of His Humour is a comical satire about envy and aspiration among the ambitious middle classes, who think happiness is to be found in fame and material fortune. Cynical depictions of urban greed, aggression, violence, misogyny, sexuality, education, conflicts of family, class and gender, commercial and personal risk-taking, all have dynamic places in the play's whirl of activity, through which Jonson exposes the importance of seeing and judging the world as it is and not being duped by its pretences. Jonson helped form English satirical drama with this play in 1599, and its popularity spearheaded a whole new movement in the writing of comedy as social critique."--Jacket.