Then, Face and Subtle remember the Spaniard has come to see Doll, who is busy in the garden with Mammon. Doll and Subtle leave angrily, having been tricked and robbed by Face. Face immediately impresses young Kastrill, and he exits with Drugger to fetch his sister. He kisses her and pretends to read her palm, and he tells her she will soon marry an aristocrat. Subtle tells Drugger that his new business should face south, and that he should place a magnet under the threshold of his door to attract business. This free study guide is stuffed with the juicy details and important facts you need to know. It is Mammon, and since Face and Subtle don’t want Dapper and Mammon to meet, they gag Dapper with a rag and a gingerbread cookie and shove him in the privy. This free study guide is stuffed with the juicy details and important facts you need to know. Suddenly, Face’s victims—Mammon, Surly, Kestrel, and the Anabaptists—converge on the house, looking for the “rouges” who tricked them, and Dapper appears, having eaten through his gag. Sorry, you will need to ask this in English. Act 1, Scene 1. The Alchemist Director Polly Findlay explains the plot of Ben Jonson's play. Face takes on the role of “Captain Face”, and Subtle plays the “Doctor.”. Mammon is terrifically excited because Subtle has promised to make him the Philosopher’s Stone, about which Mammon is already fantasizing. Upgrade to A + Download this LitChart! The Alchemist, comedy in five acts by Ben Jonson, performed in 1610 and published in 1612. Sir Epicure Mammon arrives next, along with his friend Surly. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Subtle and Face dress Dapper in a petticoat—the only way the Fairy will meet him—and blindfold him. Jeremy, whose name in the play is Face, lives in the house with Subtle, a supposed alchemist, and Dol Common, a prostitute. Despite a somewhat muddled denouement, the play is a masterpiece of construction. Then, Subtle enters with Kestrel and Dame Pliant. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The Alchemist Resources Websites. Lovewit goes inside and is greeted by Face, who, since shaving, looks again like Jeremy the butler. By this time, they trust each other and speak the same language. Mammon is quickly packed out the door, completely destroyed by the loss his entire investment. Face enters with Drugger, who tells him about a rich widow named Dame Pliant. Ben Johnson's Renaissance play, 'The Alchemist,' is a comedy, depicting human folly. Dol then reports that Lovewit has arrived, and suddenly Face has to make a final change into “Jeremy the Butler.”. The Alchemist (Jonson) Summary. Face claims he is busy in his laboratory, so Mammon asks about Doll instead. Dapper, in the meantime, is treated to a fairy rite in which Subtle and Face (accompanied by Dol on cithern) steal most of his possessions. Jonson took his example from the comedy of the classical satirists, such as Plautus, especially Plautus’s play, “Mostellaria,” a possible source for “The Alchemist.” Jonson wanted his drama to show vice punished and virtue rewarded. The play concerns the turmoil of deception that ensues when Lovewit leaves his London house in the care of his scheming servant, Face. Dapper is still interested in meeting the “Fairy Queen,” so Face, Subtle, and Doll quickly pull one last scam. Analysis and discussion of characters in Ben Jonson's Ben Jonson's The Alchemist We’ve discounted annual subscriptions by 50% for … My Spanish isn't very good. The Alchemist Summary Next. Literature Guides Poetry Guides Literary Terms Shakespeare Translations Sign In Sign Up. Ionson. Critics talk of the play as being written and performed in 1610. With the stone, Mammon will transform himself into a rich man, and he will cure the sick and stop the plague in its tracks. GradeSaver, 7 December 2007 Web. Lovewit convinces the police that criminal conmen broke into his house in his absence, and he chases off Face’s angry victims. Dapper arrives and is greeted by Face in a captain’s disguise. The alchemist speaks to Santiago as they share some forbidden wine in his tent. The Alchemist study guide contains a biography of Ben Jonson, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. He claims Mammon’s behavior will set “projection” back at least a month. He is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James I. The Tribal Chieftain of Al-Fayoum. Surly doesn’t believe in the magic of the philosopher’s stone, and he thinks Face and Subtle are conmen; however, Mammon is convinced they are all legitimate. Dapper must fast and place three drops of vinegar in his nose, two in his mouth, and one in each eye. They run a major fraud business in the house. After Dapper’s quick dispatch, Face undercuts Dol and Subtle and, as the gulls return with officers and a search warrant, Dol and Subtle are forced to escape, penniless, over the back wall. Surly tells Mammon that Doll is clearly a prostitute and they are in a “bawdy-house,” but Mammon won’t hear it. He … In fact, Subtle says, Drugger is so lucky, he might even come into possession of the philosopher’s stone—a rare alchemical substance that is said to turn base metals to gold and produce the elixir of life, which promises eternal youth and life. Things start to spiral out of control, and the gulls turn up without warning. The Importance of Money in The Alchemist. Face claims Doll is a “rare scholar” and the sister of an aristocrat, and he says she has gone mad after reading the works of a Puritan scholar. Who's the Real Heavyweight Champ of 16th/17th c. Drama? Face goes to fetch Dame Pliant and Kestrel and convinces them that the Dame is destined to marry a Spanish count, which, Face says, is the best sort of aristocrat. Their argument looks set to resume when Dol returns to warn them that Sir Epicure Mammon is approaching. Tribulation apologizes to Subtle for Ananias’s earlier visit, and Subtle tells him that he is still weeks away from creating the stone, but he offers to teach them to melt pewter to cast Dutch money in the meantime. There is a loud explosion from the other room, and Face rushes in, claiming the stone has burst into flames. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. This detailed literature summary also contains Bibliography on The Alchemist by Ben Jonson. The 411 on Ben Jonson All the dirt on the playwright, compliments of Luminarium. The Alchemist e-text contains the full text of The Alchemist. This category seems remarkably unfair, for at the height of his powers Jonson is as nuanced, insightful and witty as Shakespeare. The Alchemist study guide contains a biography of Ben Jonson, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. An introduction to The Alchemist: the artist and the con. Ben Jonson has long lived in William Shakespeare’s shadow, one of many dramatists from the period referred to, negatively, as 'non-Shakespearean'. The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson.First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally considered Jonson's best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge believed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature. Our Summary of The Alchemist by Ben Jonson. T he Alchemist is a play by Bon Jonson, which follows tricksters Jeremy, Subtle, and Dol as they swindle a series … Lovewit has pardoned Face, but not them, and there is no time for them to take their profits. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Because there has been lust in the house, a huge explosion happens offstage, which Face comes in to report has destroyed the furnace and all the alchemical apparatus. Teachers and parents! #TheAlchemist buy a glossary of literary terms https://amzn.to/2JaB2M6 buy post- modernism and english literature https://amzn.to/2XtfuDl Face, Kestrel, and Subtle exit, and Doll and Mammon enter. The house must have been occupied by criminals in his absence, Face says. The alchemist recognizes Santiago as a reader of omens and a kindred spirit, and Santiago recognizes the alchemist as a wise teacher akin to the old king. Then, he must wash the tips of his fingers and his eyes and “hum” and “buzz” three times. Get all the key plot points of Ben Jonson's The Alchemist on one page. The The Alchemist quotes below are all either spoken by Ananias or refer to Ananias. Dol quells this argument and forces the conmen to shake hands. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). Face tells Doll and Subtle to pack up their loot and get ready to leave, and then Face goes to shave. It was also entered into the Stationers' Register in this year, though it might have been written and performed earlier than this date. The Alchemist literature essays are academic essays for citation. Doll enters, and after Mammon sweet talks her a bit, they go to the garden for more privacy. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, Easy-to-use guides to literature, poetry, literary terms, and more, Super-helpful explanations and citation info for over 30,000 important quotes, Unrestricted access to all 50,000+ pages of our website and mobile app.