The Alchemist

by Ben Jonson

Overview

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. The play's clever fulfilment of the classical unities and vivid depiction of human folly have made it one of the few Renaissance plays (except the works of Shakespeare) with a continuing life on stage, apart from a period of neglect during the Victorian era.

An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country. He leaves his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into "Captain Face," and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman, and Dol Common, a prostitute. ...(wikipedia.org)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798889421863
Publisher:	Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Publication date:	03/23/2023
Pages:	162
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

John Greenwood is an instructor at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo.

Table of Contents

General editor's preface
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction

1. Life and Character
2. Alchemy
3. The Play
4. Jonson's Verse
5. Stage History
6. The Text

The Alchemist
Index to Annotations

Editorial Reviews

Reprint of the Methuen edition published in 1967. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Introducing students to this witty, farcical play will be so much easier with the new Broadview edition. The joy of this play is its topical satire, and to access it students need a thorough grounding in alchemy and in the contemporary culture of early modern London, both of which this edition provides.” — Margaret J. Oakes, Furman University

“The new Broadview edition of The Alchemist, edited by John Greenwood, is a delight. The play’s annotations are clear and complete. The edition includes extensive contextual materials, including coney-catching pamphlets, an alchemist’s guide, and some of Jonson’s own commonplace book’s entries. I am looking forward to teaching the play with this exciting new text.” — Rebecca Ann Bach, University of Alabama at Birmingham

“John Greenwood’s edition of Ben Jonson’s riotous early modern comedy, The Alchemist, captures the play’s essentials for student and more advanced scholar alike with its concise and informative introduction, helpful notes, and judiciously chosen appendix material. The edition will be a delight to use in the classroom.” — Mathew Martin, Brock University

“Kelly Stage’s edition of Dekker and Middleton’s The Roaring Girl and John Greenwood’s of Jonson’s The Alchemist, both from the Broadview Press, are convenient, handsome volumes … Each of the editors contributes a framing introduction to their play, and these also strike a Goldilocks standard, with a short biography of the playwrights and enough other background information to get a reader underway. Their common tone is informative, brisk, and accessible.” — William N. West, Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900

From the Publisher