To the Memory of My Beloved Immortality Quotes

Rise is a loaded term in lots of early modern poetry, but its normally raunchy/sexual pun isn't being used in this case. Here, the word "rise" is literally calling Shakespeare back from the dead (in the form of his printed plays) and is also a reference to his ability to rise above the reputations and legacies of his peers and leave them in the dust.

Jonson's idea that an author's printed work is a living monument to that author is interesting indeed. It also might help explain why Jonson was so eager to see his works into print before the end of his lifetime. Maybe he wanted a monument all for himself?

Nowadays, teachers are always cautioning you to not assume the author is the one speaking in poems or plays, but Jonson says here that Shakespeare's "mind and manners" live on in his lines. Do you think that means his personality and opinions are in there somewhere, too?