The alchemist ben jonson. The Alchemist by Ben Jonson Plot Summary 2022-10-22
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The Alchemist is a play written by Ben Jonson in the early 17th century. It is a comedic play that explores themes of greed, deception, and the search for knowledge and wealth.
The play follows the story of a group of con artists who set up shop in an apartment in London, posing as alchemists who can turn base metals into gold. They are led by a character named Face, who is aided by his accomplices Subtle, Doll, and Lucy. The con artists set out to swindle a wealthy merchant named Lovewit, who is away on business, by convincing his naive and gullible servant, Jeremy, to give them access to his master's home and money.
The con artists' plan is initially successful, as they manage to convince Jeremy and several other characters, including a wealthy but foolish gentleman named Sir Epicure Mammon and a wealthy but miserly old man named Dapper, to give them money in exchange for the promise of turning their base metals into gold. However, their scheme is eventually uncovered by Lovewit's wise and skeptical maid, Dame Pliant, and the alchemists are exposed as frauds.
Overall, The Alchemist is a clever and entertaining play that offers a critical examination of human nature and the dangers of greed and deception. It remains a classic work of literature to this day and continues to be widely studied and performed.
The Alchemist Study Guide
And have I this for thanks! Do not you tell him. Put thee in words and fashion, made thee fit For more than ordinary fellowships? Somehow I keep thinking of The scammer trio of Face, Subtle, and Dol - "fearsome threesome" in the words of Shmoop - are great fun to witness in their shenanigans, but also amazing satire. The rapier wit is unassailable. Subtle and Face robbed Dapper by engaging him in a fairy rite. T Coleridge, this play has one of the three best plots in the literature.
But I shall put you in mind, sir;—at Pie-corner, Taking your meal of steam in, from cooks' stalls, Where, like the father of hunger, you did walk Piteously costive, with your pinch'd-horn-nose, And your complexion of the Roman wash, Stuck full of black and melancholic worms, Like powder corns shot at the artillery-yard. He shall do any thing. It's a social satire from 1610, when people still could believe in eternal elixirs, philosopher's stones, alchemy which was fuelled by a ever present lust for gold and its equivalents. It seems to have been published primarily to avoid costs of paper and ink. .
And, on your stall, a puppet, with a vice And a court-fucus to call city-dames: You shall deal much with minerals. Face tells Doll and Subtle to pack up their loot and get ready to leave, and then Face goes to shave. Mammon tells Face all about his plans for the elixir, which he will also use to give himself unparalleled sexual prowess. They pretend to be alchemists, promising to turn metal into gold and all of these Londoners coming to them hoping to have all of their dreams come true. As the name indicates Subtle is very clever and crafty man. He may make us both happy in an hour; Win some five thousand pound, and send us two on't.
What should I swear? He is a wise man, that Ben Jonson, and addresses his audience as follows: "Fortune, that favours fools, these two short hours We wish away, both for your sake and ours, Judging spectators; and desire in place To the author justice, to ourselves but grace. Meanwhile, there is knock on the door the first gull of the day, a legal clerk, enters. Also, the prologue's reference to "manners" being called "humours" shows we're not the first generation to be caught blaming our behavior on our biology my brain made me do it! He illustrates the Puritans as the man who claims to men of religion and wants to eliminate all the vices in the society but only a few know their real face. Drugger agrees to bring Dame Pliant and her brother to see them, and Face excitedly tells Subtle about the widow. I didn't expect to be able to give "Oh, let the wild sheep loose! He marries Dame pliant and leaves the stage. This time he is Subtle, a conman posing as an alchemist in order to swindle aristocrats with more money than sense. He is of the only best complexion, The queen of Fairy loves.
The dialogues between the characters show the inconsistency in the play, as illustrated by the metaphor; For instance, it is foreshadowed that the alchemical will end up in a reaction with undesirable consequences. Don come in between and resolves their conflict and compel both to shake their hands. Heart, I cannot speak with them. Seriously, if you want to read a Ben Johnson play, read Volpone, it is way better and still holds up. .
By your means, doctor dog! Play-going in Shakespeare's London. What says my dainty Dolkin? Lovewit pays tribute to the ingenuity of his servant, and Face asks for the audience's forgiveness. I hope we need no spurs, sir. The language that characters use in the play is their primary means of self-deception. Be silent: not a word if he call or knock. Your aunt of Fairy? We see this in Henry IV and we see this here, where the actual lives of the commoners are hidden behind a farcial display of comedy and tomfoolery.
The Alchemist by Ben Jonson Summary, Themes, and Analysis
The play cleverly fulfills the classical unities and clearly depicts the vices of the society. And though I am clean Got off, from Subtle, Surly, Mammon, Doll, Hot Ananias, Dapper, Drugger, all With whom I traded; yet I put myself On you, that are my country; and this pelf Which I have got, if you do quit me, rests To feast you often, and invite new guests. As with Volpone, Ben Jonson makes a great display of his learning, and basks fully in his grasp of the English language. First, hear me— FACE. Well, a rare star Reign'd at your birth. A wench is a rare bait, with which a man No sooner's taken, but he straight firks mad.
Now, Sir Mammon and Sir Pertinax, his cynical assistance are standing next to the door. Your humour must be law. They pretend to be alchemists, promising to turn metal into gold and all of these Londoners coming to them hoping to have all of their dreams come true. Jonson also assets his ruthless satire on the Puritans of the real world who wished to close the theatres. Will you be Your own destructions, gentlemen? And what shall I do? You must be chief? Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997. In fact, I can't help but wonder if there was some Victorian-era conspiracy to bury any old plays that they deemed not classy enough to be viewed by delicate 19th century ladies.
Troth, do it, doctor; think him trusty, and make him. He is very greedy and compares himself to the alchemist. Face is now the plausible Jeremy again, and denies the accusation—-he has kept the house locked up because of the plague. Since the triumph of Face at the end of play upset various critics especially John Dryden, however, the triumph of Face shows the praise for classical virtues such as wit, self-knowledge, and moderation than absolute morality. Funny and engaging, The Alchemist is almost like a play within a play, another theatre on a theatre stage.
Then, Face and Subtle remember the Spaniard has come to see Doll, who is busy in the garden with Mammon. Why, as you please; my venture follows yours. Sir Pertinax Surly He is the personal assistant of Sir Epicure Mammon. Face puts every blame on the Dol and subtle, however, they manage to escape penniless from the back wall and the clients come back with police and a search warrant. Your chestnut or your olive-colour'd face Does never fail: and your long ear doth promise. This was an interesting play, mostly because Jonson is a contemporary of Shakespeare who has been pretty much overshadowed by him. ENTER FACE, IN A CAPTAIN'S UNIFORM, WITH HIS SWORD DRAWN, AND SUBTLE WITH A VIAL, QUARRELLING, AND FOLLOWED BY DOL COMMON.
