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Ben Jonson was a significant contemporary, friend, and rival of Shakespeare, known for both praising him ("Not for an age, but for all time") and criticizing his classical learning ("small Latin and less Greek"), creating a complex relationship where they competed for theatrical success but respected each other's genius, with Jonson representing disciplined classicism versus Shakespeare's natural, rule-bending brilliance. 

Key Aspects of Their Relationship:

• Friendship & Collaboration: Shakespeare acted in Jonson's 1598 play Every Man in His Humour, and Jonson greatly honored Shakespeare in his First Folio tribute, calling him a star of poets.

• Rivalry & Criticism: Jonson, a scholar, often chided Shakespeare for perceived artistic flaws, like writing of a seashore in landlocked Bohemia, and his famous jab about Shakespeare having "small Latin and less Greek".

• Different Styles: Jonson was a classically trained, erudite writer focused on structure, while Shakespeare was seen as a natural genius, sometimes ignoring classical rules for audience appeal, notes this website.

• Literary Competition: They navigated the competitive Elizabethan theater scene, collaborating, imitating, and satirizing each other while vying for success. 

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In essence: Jonson and Shakespeare were intertwined figures, friends and rivals who shared the stage, yet represented contrasting approaches to drama, with Jonson the disciplined classicist and Shakespeare the unparalleled natural talent

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