THE ALCHEMIST

COMEDY OF HUMOURS
COMEDY OF HUMOURS
Originated from Gammer Gurton’s Needle and Ralph Roister Doister and popularized by Ben Jonson in
England
A form of drama which became fashionable at the very end of the 16th and early in the 17th century
A typical type of comedy altered by Jonson
A genre of comedy focusing on characters who show some traits or humours which dominate their
personality and actions.
Humour is physiological term for the four primary fluids of human body; blood, phlegm, choler and
melancholy
The mixture of these humours is believed to determine a human’s physical and mental condition as well
as his temperament.
A normal human being has these four fluids in a balanced proportion. Yet, the excess of any one of
these fluids makes him/her abnormal and develops some kind of an oddity in the temperament and
behavior such a person becomes an object of fun and ridicule
In Comedy of Humours, each person is regarded as motivated by a preponderant/dominant humour or
characteristics.
It introduces a set of eccentrics who have their particular humour, prevailing mood or oddity
It has all the characteristics of a regular comedy with the exception of the exaggerated traits or humours
of its characters
It is full of contradictory elements; the highly exaggerated and unrealistic characters move about in
highly realistic atmosphere and true to custom of the society.
Jonson’s comedies are called Comedy of Humour since his characters are the victims of one humour.
His characters are ‘caricatures’
Jonson distinguished two kinds of humour: one was true humour, in which one peculiar quality actually
possessed a man, body, and soul; the other was adopted humour, or mannerism, in which a man went
out of his way to appear singular by affecting certain fashions of clothing, speech, and social habits.
His two outstanding works in this kind of comedy are Every Man in His Humour (1598) and Every
Man Out of His Humour (1599); plus minor works like The Magnetic Lady: or Humours
Reconciled (1632). Following the practice of the Moralities and Interludes, Jonson
named dramatis personae: Kitely, Dame Kitely, Knowell, Brainworm and Justice Clement
(in Every Man in His Humour); Fastidious Brisk, Fungoso, Sordido, and Puntarvolo the
vainglorious knight, and so forth (in Every Man Out of His Humour). The indication of character
in this fashion became a common practice and continued to be much favoured by dramatists
and novelists in the 18th and 19th century.
John Fletcher, a contemporary of Jonson’s, wrote a number of ‘humour’ comedies, and other
plays of note from the period are Chapman’s All Fools (c. 1604), Middleton’s A Trick to Catch the
Old One (1605), and Massinger’s A New Way to Pay Old Debts (1625). Shadwell revived comedy
of humours late in the 17th c. with The Squire of Alsatia (1688) and Bury Fair (1689).
Characteristic Features of Comedy of
Humours;
Intense Realism; The characters do not escape into the dreamland of romance. They are the
members of contemporary life with their manners and types. Jonson frees the English comedy
from the shackles of romantic extravagances of Beaumont and Fletcher by drawing a real
picture of contemporary England.
Didactic and Satiric; This kind of comedy treats the follies and foibles of men and women in a
satirizing manner to free them from their follies (Follies in characters to excite laughter and
ridicule them)
Wit and Satire; It has wit and satire along with exaggerated characters while being filled with
witty dialogues between characters.
Three Unities; The action is confined to one spot and it does not extend over the period of
twenty four hours. (Having a single plot without any subplot)
BEN(JAMIN) JONSON
Born in about 1572 near London
A scholar, a poet and a dramatist
A serious classicist who modeled his plays on Roman and Greek tragedies
Educated at Westminster School and worked as a bricklayer for his stepfather
Was briefly in the military where he killed an enemy in single combat
Arrested after killing another actor in a duel (but released after claiming benefit of clergy)
Converted to Roman Catholicism
His first play, Every Man in His Humour was written in 1598 with Shakespeare playing one of the roles on stage.
Every Man out of His Humour (1599), Cynthia’s Revels (1600), Poetaster (1601)
Perhaps best known for his court masques, he wrote the first of many, The Masque of Blackness (1605)
Although Jonson became well established as a playwright with works such as Volpone (1606),
Epicene or the Silent Woman (1610), The Alchemist (1610), Bartholomew Fair (1614) and The
Devil was an Ass (1616), he is also well known as a poet.
The first poet or dramatist to publish a folio edition of his Works
Awarded with an honorary M.A. From Cambridge University in 1616.
Jonson was as popular a writer as Shakespeare who was Jonson’s friend. But he saw much of his
popularity diminish later while Shakespeare’s continued to grow.
He spent the last nine years of his life bedridden after suffering a stroke and died in 1637.
THE ALCHEMIST
Performed in 1610 by King’s Men
The plot of The Alchemist is the story of three swindlers to try to cheat some gullible victims of their money. But the theme is that of
greed.
A five act play (The exposition occurs in the first act when the at:dience learns of Subtle and Face's plan and meets the first of the
victims. By the end of Act II, the complication, the audience has met the rest of the victims. The climax occurs in the third act when the
victims all begin to arrive and Dapper must be gagged and locked in the privy. The near misses as each of the victims is targeted by the
swindlers in a separate part of the house provides the falling action, and the catastrophe occurs in the last act when Lovewit arrives to
restore order and each victim discovers the extent of the trickery)
Each character is little more than a "type." The audience does not really know or understand the character as an individual.
London as the place
Satire attempts to blend social commentary with comedy and humor. Satire does not usually attack any individual but rather the
institution he or she represents. The intent is to expose problems and create debate that will lead to a correction of the problem. In
The Alchemist , the two Puritan Deacons are the object of satire because they represent an over-zealous approach to religion.
Social satire targeting at London
Portrayal of human follies
THEMES
APPEARANCE VS REALITY
What the victims of the three swindlers perceive as reality is not the truth of the play. Each one thinks that he will receive wealth or
power as a reward gained through little effort. The reality is that each will be left with less wealth and no more power than they had
initially.
CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION
The plot revolves around the chance and expectation that Subtle can change base metals into gold. A belief in alchemy was still firmly
held at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Queen Elizabeth investigated the possibility of using alchemy to increase her worth
and even Sir Isaac Newton believed in the principle.
In The Alchemist , alchemy is the basis for a con game, a means to swindle unsuspecting victims. The only transformation that occurs is
a lightening of their purses.
The Alchemist centers on the practice of alchemy, an ancient form of natural philosophy and early type of chemistry that sought to
create the philosopher’s stone , a legendary alchemical substance that could transform base metals into gold and silver. The
philosopher’s stone was also thought to produce the elixir of life, which promised to give someone immortal life. Alchemy was
considered a legitimate form of science in Jonson’s day and many sought the power of the mysterious stone. With the philosopher’s
stone, the poor could be transformed into the wealthy, and the sick and old into the vibrant and youthful. In The Alchemist , Jonson
juxtaposes the transformative powers of alchemy against the transformation of his characters. Jonson’s characters are constantly
changing, and as the main characters —Face, Subtle, and Doll—dupe unsuspecting victims into believing they have created the
philosopher’s stone, they likewise transform into different characters entirely. Through the depiction of transformation in The
Alchemist, Jonson argues that all things—people included—are always in flux.
Jonson makes repeated references to the transformative powers of alchemy and the philosopher’s stone, which promises to bring
limitless riches and health to Face, Subtle, and Doll’s victims.
DECEPTION
The plot of Jonson's play is based on deception. Each of the three swindlers uses deception for financial gain. But the victims
are also self-deceiving. Their willingness to believe allows the game to succeed.
Surly assumes a disguise to reveal the deception, but his disguise is in itself a deception. Jeremy disguises himself as Face to
lure victims to the house and later he becomes Lungs, the alchemist's assistant. Dol pretends to be the Queen of Fairy and a
mad aristocrat as part of the game, and Subtle is an astrologer and an alchemist.
Face and Subtle are not the only characters in The Alchemist to use deception, and when Face and Subtle deceive each
other, they prove to be just as gullible as their victims. Deception and gullibility are everywhere in The Alchemist, and,
Jonson thus implies, in the real world as well. Jonson draws attention to the unfortunate reality of deception and ultimately
argues that everyone is at risk of being duped.
GREED
It is the victim's greed that allows the swindles to occur. Each man seeks more power or wealth than he has earned or
deserves. And each returns to be further swindled as their greed escalates.
Throughout The Alchemist, Ben Jonson makes references to the philosopher’s stone—an alchemical substance that is said to
transform base metals like copper and tin into gold and silver and also produce the elixir of life, an additional substance
which promises to give eternal life and youth to anyone who consumes it. In the play, the stone represents alchemy as an
entire field, but it also symbolizes deception and greed.
MORALITY
The play's resolution creates some questions about morality. The sting of loss is eased in the victims as
they learn their lessons; their lives are better knowing the ill-effects caused by excessive greed. When
Subtle and Dol are forced to flee the house without the money and goods gained from their efforts, it is
also clear that there is no reward for dishonesty. But Jeremy escapes any punishment for his role in the
swindles, and so, the concept of justice is questioned.
Traditionally, the audience wants to see the bad guys punished and the good characters rewarded. That
resolution is denied when Jeremy is forgiven by his master, and the end of the play leaves Jeremy
victorious.
ORDER AND DISORDER
These two ideas are tied to the exit and entrance of Lovewit. When Lovewit leaves London and his
house in Jeremy's care, disorder is the result. This is especially evident in Act IV when the victims begin
amassing at the house, each seeking more help and more wealth. Order is finally restored when Lovewit
returns to the house. The swindlers flee the house and the victims are forced to restore order to their
lives when they accept their losses.
RELIGION
The two Puritans as important symbols of Jonson's intent to satirize extreme religious practice.
The two Deacons think that their need for money is necessary to fulfill God's work.
Jonson reflects the anti-Catholic ideas of the time; however, and he also condemns religious fanaticism
and those associated with radical Protestantism.
Jonson further condemns radical Protestantism through his portrayal of the
Anabaptists, Ananias and Tribulation Wholesome, two of Face and Subtle’s victims for their cons.
VICTIM AND VICTIMIZATION
The Alchemist put the definition of victim and victimization to the test. The victims of the swindlers are
victims because they have been willing to cheat, to gain from magic or dishonesty what they have not
earned.
Each character has arrived at their destination due to their own actions; they have only victimized
themselves and have reaped what they deserve.