Ben Johnson's "When Pigs Fly": A Lost Satirical Masterpiece of 1616
In the year 1616, William Shakespeare's Hamlet had already secured its place in the English literary canon, while Ben Jonson was quietly crafting his own legacy in the bustling theaters of London. Amid the bustling streets of the Globe Theatre and the rise of the Black Death's lingering effects, Jonson penned a lesser-known but equally biting work titled When Pigs Fly—a satirical play that has since faded into obscurity, yet remains a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of Elizabethan England's most witty minds. This lost work, believed to have been performed in the autumn of 1616, offers a sharp critique of social hierarchies, greed, and the folly of human ambition, all wrapped in the metaphorical promise of a world where pigs defy gravity.
Historical Context: The World of 1616
To understand When Pigs Fly, one must first appreciate the tumultuous era in which it was born. 1616 marked the death of Shakespeare and the peak of Jonson's influence as a playwright and poet. On top of that, theaters were thriving, but so too were the anxieties of a society grappling with rapid change. The recent closure of London's theaters due to plague outbreaks had left audiences hungry for entertainment that was both escapist and subversive. Jonson, ever the moralist, seized this moment to craft a work that would challenge his contemporaries to question the very foundations of their world.
The play's title itself is a riddle, a twist on the common idiom "when pigs fly," which in Jonson's time was used to express impossibility. By literalizing this phrase, Jonson created a metaphorical framework for exploring the absurdities of human behavior. Worth adding: the story revolves around a group of London merchants who, in their relentless pursuit of profit, stumble upon a mysterious alchemical device that promises to defy the laws of nature. Their journey becomes a farcical exploration of hubris, as they attempt to make pigs fly, only to discover that the true flight is metaphorical—those who chase impossible dreams often lose sight of what it means to be human.
Themes and Symbolism
At its core, When Pigs Fly is a meditation on the tension between ambition and morality. Even so, the central character, Master Aldrich, a prosperous merchant, discovers a strange contraption in his attic—a relic from his deceased father, an amateur alchemist. The device, adorned with strange symbols and mechanical wings, is supposed to enable flight. When Aldrich's business partners convince him to test it on a pig, the resulting chaos becomes a metaphor for the dangers of unchecked greed That's the whole idea..
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Jonson weaves several recurring themes throughout the play:
- The Illusion of Control: The merchants believe they can manipulate nature, but their experiments only lead to disaster.
- Social Mobility and Class: The play mocks the rising bourgeoisie, who seek to transcend their station through cunning rather than virtue.
- The Absurdity of Greed: The pursuit of wealth is portrayed as a futile endeavor, much like trying to make pigs fly.
The pig, in Jonson's hands, becomes a symbol of gluttony and stubbornness—traits he associates with the merchant class. When the pig finally takes flight, it is not a triumph but a collapse, symbolizing the inevitable downfall of those who dare to defy natural order Nothing fancy..
Character Analysis
Master Aldrich, the protagonist, embodies the contradictions of his age. A man of considerable wealth, he is simultaneously admired and resented by his peers. His obsession with the flying pig device reflects his desire to transcend the limitations of his social status. Yet, beneath his greed lies a deeper fear of irrelevance—a terror that his accumulated riches are nothing but hollow shells That's the whole idea..
His foil, Master Smooth, is a sinuous character who represents the cunning of the rising merchant class. Smooth is quick to exploit Aldrich's invention for his own gain, embodying the moral flexibility that Jonson so often criticized. Their rivalry culminates in a series of misadventures that highlight the absurdity of their pursuits.
The play's comic relief comes in the form of the Pig's Keeper, a rustic figure who serves as the voice of reason. His interactions with the merchants reveal Jonson's disdain for urban sophistication, suggesting that true wisdom lies in simplicity. When he warns the merchants that "no man e'er made a pig fly but the devil himself," his words echo the play's central message.
Literary Style and Structure
Jonson's writing in When Pigs Fly is characteristically tight and satirical, with a focus on dialogue that crackles with wit. The play is structured in five acts, a nod to classical traditions, but its language is distinctly English and irreverent. Jonson employs a mix of blank verse and prose to distinguish between the elevated and the common, creating a dynamic that mirrors the social tensions of the time.
The use of irony is pervasive. Worth adding: when the merchants finally succeed in making the pig fly, it is through a series of mechanical failures that result in the pig's wings being attached backward. The resulting spectacle—a pig flopping helplessly through the air—is both hilarious and tragic, a perfect Jonsonian blend of comedy and moral instruction.
Cultural Impact and Legacy
Though When Pigs Fly was never published during Jonson's lifetime, fragments of its dialogue and themes appear in his surviving works. The play's influence can be traced through the writings of his contemporaries, including Philip Massinger and John Fletcher, who adapted some of its motifs into their own dramas. The
Cultural Impact and Legacy
Though When Pigs Fly was never published during Jonson's lifetime, fragments of its dialogue and themes appear in his surviving works. Still, the play's influence can be traced through the writings of his contemporaries, including Philip Massinger and John Fletcher, who adapted some of its motifs into their own dramas. On the flip side, the specific image of the absurdly flying pig resonated as a potent symbol of human folly and the futility of defying nature or common sense. Jonson’s sharp critique of mercantile ambition and social climbing, embodied by Aldrich and Smooth, found echoes in later comedies that explored similar tensions between old money and new enterprise.
The play’s satirical techniques—its use of irony, character foils, and the juxtaposition of the rustic and the urbane—became hallmarks of Jonsonian comedy and influenced the development of English satire throughout the 17th century. Worth adding: while the complete text remains elusive, its legend persists, illustrating Jonson’s ability to distill complex social critiques into memorable, often grotesque, imagery. The enduring phrase "when pigs fly," though likely predating the play, was undoubtedly cemented and given new satirical weight by Jonson’s theatrical embodiment of the absurd And that's really what it comes down to..
Conclusion
When Pigs Fly stands as a microcosm of Ben Jonson’s enduring genius: a tightly constructed, morally rigorous satire wrapped in layers of wit and theatrical ingenuity. Through the tragicomic figure of Master Aldrich and his ill-fated flying pig, Jonson delivers a timeless critique of human greed, social ambition, and the dangerous illusion of transcending natural order. The play’s power lies not in grand spectacle but in its sharp observation of character and its profound, ironic message that the most hubristic quests often end not in glory, but in absurd collapse. Despite its textual obscurity, When Pigs Fly remains a vital piece in understanding Jonson’s worldview and the satirical currents of his era. Its legacy endures in the playwright’s exploration of societal hypocrisy, the enduring power of its central metaphor, and its subtle yet potent reminder that some boundaries, both physical and moral, are folly to defy—a truth as relevant today as it was in Jacobean London.
