The Alchemist

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The Alchemist defies conventional morality by allowing Face to escape punishment in the end while his victims suffer the consequences of their greed. How did you feel about this, and what do you think Jonson is suggesting about society through this resolution?

2. In the play, an epidemic of plague forces Lovewit to leave London and creates the opportunity for Face’s schemes. How did this background circumstance resonate with you?

3. Jonson creates a fast-paced, complex farce with interweaving plots and disguises. How does this compare to other Restoration comedies about deception, such as Jonson’s Volpone or William Wyckerley’s The Country Wife? What distinguishes Jonson’s approach to satire in The Alchemist from his other works or those of other playwrights?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Throughout the play, Face adopts multiple identities to deceive others. Have you ever found yourself adapting your personality or appearance for different social situations?

2. The characters who fall victim to Face and Subtle’s schemes are all motivated by desires for shortcuts to wealth, power, or luck. Which character’s motivations or vulnerabilities did you find most relatable, and why?

3. Lovewit ultimately profits from and forgives Face’s deceptions because he appreciates the cleverness of the scheme. Have you ever found yourself admiring someone’s intelligence or creativity even when it was used for questionable purposes?

4. Face, Subtle, and Dol create elaborate fantasies that prey on their victims’ desires. Have you ever fallen for something that promised a similar magical solution to your complex problems?

5. The play suggests that those who are deceived share responsibility for their fate because of their greed and gullibility. Do you agree with this perspective? Have you ever experienced or witnessed a situation in which someone’s desires made them particularly vulnerable to deception?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The Alchemist portrays women primarily as objects to be valued for their wealth, beauty, or sexual availability. How does this representation reflect the social realities of women in Jonson’s time, and how might a modern adaptation address these problematic portrayals?

2. The play satirizes religious hypocrisy through characters like Ananias and Tribulation Wholesome, who preach virtue but quickly abandon their principles for profit. How does this critique of religious authority compare to contemporary discussions about religious institutions and leadership?

3. In the play, social class shapes characters’ vulnerabilities and approaches to deception. How do the different socioeconomic backgrounds of characters like Drugger, Mammon, and Kastril influence their interactions with Face and Subtle? What commentary is Jonson be making about class in early modern England?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Jonson uses character names to signal personality traits and dramatic functions. How do these names enhance the audience’s understanding of the characters and contribute to the play’s satirical purpose? 

2. The philosopher’s stone is the central symbol of unattainable desires in the play. What does this mythical object represent to different characters, and how does Jonson use it to explore human vulnerability?

3. The play builds tension through a farcical structure: Multiple plot threads threaten to collide and expose the layers of deception and misunderstanding. How does Jonson manage the timing of these potential collisions? How does this structure contribute to the comedy and the thematic development of the play?

4. Jonson compares the con artists’ deceptions within the play to the deceptive nature of theatrical performance itself. What specific moments in the text highlight this parallel? What is Jonson suggesting about the characters who fall for the play’s trickery and the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief?

5. The play is structured around the Galenic theory of humors, with characters embodying sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic temperaments. How does this framework shape character interactions and conflicts throughout the play?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine The Alchemist set in contemporary times. What modern professions would Face, Subtle, and Dol have? What contemporary desires or fantasies would replace the philosopher’s stone, and what technologies might facilitate their schemes?

2. The play ends with Face unpunished and Lovewit profiting from the trio’s schemes. Write an alternative epilogue that follows Subtle and Dol after they flee from Lovewit’s house. Do they establish a new operation elsewhere? Do they seek revenge on Face?

3. Choose one of the duped characters (Dapper, Drugger, Mammon, or the Anabaptists) and write a brief monologue from their perspective after they realize they’ve been swindled. How do they explain their gullibility to themselves? Do they learn anything from the experience?

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