The ALCHEMIST

- Ben Johnson

Submitted By :-

I MA ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES

Gayatri.V – 23ENGD05 – Summary

Jeevitha. – 23ENGD06 – Background

Keerthana – 23ENGD07 – Analysis

Monika.B – 23ENGD08 – Question Paper

 Introduction and Background
Brief Biography of Ben Jonson
Jonson was born in London, England, in 1572. His father, a clergyman, died just
months before Jonson was born, and his mother later remarried a bricklayer
when Jonson was still a toddler. Jonson was educated at Westminster School,
and while he hoped to attend the University of Cambridge, he left school to
become an apprentice bricklayer. Jonson soon abandoned bricklaying and
traveled to the Netherlands, where he served as a volunteer English soldier in
Flanders. He returned to England in the early 1590s to work as an actor and was
awarded the role of Hieronimo in an early production of Thomas Kyd’s The
Spanish Tragedy. Jonson married a London woman named Ann Lewis in 1594,
and while it is said that they had a rather contentious marriage, the couple had
several children, including a daughter who died in infancy and a son who died
of the bubonic plague when he was just seven years old. By 1597, Jonson was
working exclusively as a playwright, and he staged his first successful play,
Every Man in His Humour, in 1598. When James I was crowned the King of
England in 1603, Jonson became a respected writer of masques, a form of
courtly entertainment that involves singing, dancing, and acting. He wrote The
Satyr that same year, followed by The Masque of Blackness in 1605. Jonson’s
masques gained him royal favor and a pension of 60 pounds per year, and he
began writing comedies, too, including Volpone in 1605, Epicoene in 1607, The
Alchemist in 1610, and Bartholomew Fair in 1614. Beginning in the 1620s,
Jonson’s health and productivity began to decline. He suffered multiple strokes
and died on August 16, 1637, at the age of 65. Since his death, Jonson has been
regarded as one of the most talented and prolific writers and theorists of the
English Renaissance.

Historical Context of The Alchemist

In the argument of The Alchemist, Ben Jonson claims a plague has swept
London, sending much of the city’s wealthy population to the countryside. This
widespread illness is a reference to the bubonic plague, also known as the Black
Death, which swept across Europe for centuries and killed millions of people.
The disease, which is caused by bacteria carried by fleas and rodents, first
surfaced around 1330 in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia. The Black
Death reached Sicily in the 1340s and quickly spread across Europe. Symptoms
of the plague varied, including acute fever and vomiting; however, most of
those infected presented with buboes, an inflammation of the lymph nodes that
often cracked opened an oozed infected blood and pus. In some cases, the
plague even spread to the lungs, causing considerable respiratory problems, like
shortness of breath and bloody sputa. In the early days of the Black Death,
between 1346 and 1353, some 62,000 people were killed in the city of London
alone. By the end of the 1350s, the plague began to die out, but it was never
fully eradicated, and a Second Pandemic soon settled over Europe. Numerous
outbreaks ravished the continent over the next several hundred years, including
a flare-up in London that lasted from 1602 to 1611, which is presumably the
outbreak Jonson refers to in the beginning of The Alchemist. The last outbreak
of the Black Plague was reported in Madagascar in 2014, but modern medicine
was able to stop the spread. In total, it is estimated that the Black Plague killed
some 60% of Europe’s population and reduced the world’s population by over
one million people in the 14th century alone.

Key Facts about The Alchemist

Full Title: The Alchemist
When Written: 1610
Where Written: London, England
When Published: 1610
Literary Period: English Renaissance
Genre: Comedy
Setting: London, England, in 1610 during an outbreak of the bubonic plague.
Climax: Face’s victims converge on Lovewit’s house with the police looking
for justice, but Lovewit convinces them that his house has been shut up for
weeks and was taken over by criminal conmen.
Antagonist: Lovewit
 Chaucer and Elizabethan Age
The Alchemist by Ben Johnson
Compiled by:
Gayatri V
23ENGD05
I MA English Language Studies
Summary
Face, a London servant and conman, enters with Subtle and Doll Common, his
criminal associates. Face’s master, Lovewit, has fled the city for his country
home on account of an outbreak of the plague, and Face is running a criminal
operation out of Lovewit’s city home in his absence. They are waiting for their
first victim of the day: a law clerk named Dapper. Dapper is in search of a
“familiar,” a bit of alchemical magic that will help him win at cards and
gambling, and Face has convinced him that Subtle is a respected mystic and
doctor of alchemy. Dapper arrives and is greeted by Face in a captain’s disguise.
Subtle tells Dapper that he has the skill to conjure him a “familiar,” but he is
hesitant. Alchemical magic cannot be used to such immoral ends, Subtle says,
but Dapper begs and promises to give half his winnings to Subtle and Face.
Subtle agrees and tells Dapper that he must meet the “Fairy Queen” to get his
“familiar,” and she doesn’t rise until the afternoon. He must come back, but he
must first complete the ritual. Dapper must fast and place three drops of vinegar
in his nose, two in his mouth, and one in each eye. Then, he must wash the tips
of his fingers and his eyes and “hum” and “buzz” three times. Dapper agrees
and immediately runs home.

Next is Abel Drugger, a local shopkeeper, who comes to Subtle looking for
advice on his new business. He asks Subtle where he should place his door and
shelves and how he should display his merchandise to guarantee success. 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. He says that Drugger
was born under a “rare star” and will be very lucky in business and in life. 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. Drugger gives Subtle a handful of coins and excitedly rushes out the door.
Face looks to Subtle. Since it is his job to find “gulls” like Abel Drugger, Face
says, he clearly deserves a larger cut of the profits.

Sir Epicure Mammon arrives next, along with his friend Surly. Mammon
believes that Subtle is busy creating the philosopher’s stone for him, and
Mammon has been talking around town as if he already has it. With the stone,
Mammon will transform himself into a rich man, and he will cure the sick and
stop the plague in its tracks. 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. Face greets them dressed as an
alchemist’s assistant and says that Subtle is busy at “projection,” one of the final
stages of the alchemical process, after which the stone is created. Mammon tells
Face all about his plans for the elixir, which he will also use to give himself
unparalleled sexual prowess. He will have sex with 50 women a night, and he
will line his bedchamber with mirrors, so his reflection is multiplied as he walks
naked through his “succubae.” Subtle enters and tells Mammon to go home and
fetch all his metal and iron, for they will soon make “projection.” Surly tries
again to tell Mammon that Face and Subtle are conmen, but Mammon is
distracted by Doll, who has just walked by. Mammon definitely wants to meet
her when he comes back. Surly tells Mammon that Doll is clearly a prostitute
and they are in a “bawdy-house,” but Mammon won’t hear it.

There is a knock at the door and Ananias, an Anabaptist who has come to barter
for Mammon’s metal and iron, enters. Ananias isn’t impressed with Subtle and
Face’s fancy alchemical jargon, and he calls them “heathens.” Subtle asks
Ananias if he has brought money, but Ananias says he and his brethren will give
Subtle no more money until they “see projection.” Subtle angrily kicks Ananias
out, claiming he will only negotiate with Ananias’s pastor in the future. Face
enters with Drugger, who tells him about a rich widow named Dame Pliant.
Dame Pliant has come to town with her brother, Kestrel, who is looking for
someone to teach him to quarrel and live by his wits. Kestrel is also looking for
a husband for his sister, and he will only allow her to marry an aristocrat. Face
tells Drugger that Subtle is the wittiest man in London, and he can read Dame
Pliant’s horoscope as well. Drugger agrees to bring Dame Pliant and her brother
to see them, and Face excitedly tells Subtle about the widow. They briefly argue
over who will get to marry Dame Pliant and ultimately decide to draw straws—
and to not tell Doll.

Ananias returns with his pastor, Tribulation Wholesome. Neither men like nor
trust Subtle and Face, and Tribulation even refers to Subtle as “antichristian,”
but they are willing to do what they must to get the philosopher’s stone and
further their religious cause. 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. Tribulation says he will return to his brethren to determine if casting
money is lawful and exits with Ananias. Face enters and says he has just met a
Spaniard who is very interested in meeting Doll, and he is headed over later.
There is a knock at the door, and Doll says it is Dapper, who has returned for his
“familiar.” Face tells Doll to put on her “Fairy Queen” disguise and get ready.
Subtle enters dressed as a “Priest of Fairy” and tells Dapper he must empty his
pockets of all valuables before he meets the Queen. Subtle and Face dress
Dapper in a petticoat—the only way the Fairy will meet him—and blindfold
him. Suddenly, there is another knock at the door. 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.

Mammon enters with his metal and iron and asks where Subtle is. Face claims
he is busy in his laboratory, so Mammon asks about Doll instead. 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. Face offers to introduce
Mammon to Doll, but Mammon must not mention religion, and he must keep
their introduction quiet—if Subtle thinks Mammon has any ill intentions, he
won’t give him the stone. Doll enters, and after Mammon sweet talks her a bit,
they go to the garden for more privacy. Then, Subtle enters with Kestrel and
Dame Pliant. Subtle agrees to teach Kestrel how to be witty, but first he must
meet Dame Pliant. He kisses her and pretends to read her palm, and he tells her
she will soon marry an aristocrat. Subtle escorts Kestrel and Dame Pliant to his
office, where he can begin Kestrel’s lesson and read Dame Pliant’s fortune, and
Face enters with the Spaniard.

The Spaniard is really Surly in disguise, but he pretends not to speak English,
and Subtle and Face don’t seem to notice. They insult the Spaniard, believing he
can’t understand them, and they openly admit they are out to “cozen” him.
Then, Face and Subtle remember the Spaniard has come to see Doll, who is
busy in the garden with Mammon. They begin to panic, but Face suggests they
introduce the Spaniard to Dame Pliant. Subtle hesitates, wanting Dame Pliant
for himself, but ultimately agrees. 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. Kestrel agrees and orders his sister to the
garden with Surly to get to know each other. Face, Kestrel, and Subtle exit, and
Doll and Mammon enter. Doll is ranting and raving in an acute bout of insanity,
and Mammon is unable to calm her down. Face enters and guides Doll out of
the room, followed by Subtle, who is angry that Mammon has obviously
behaved lustfully with Doll. He claims Mammon’s behaviour will set
“projection” back at least a month. There is a loud explosion from the other
room, and Face rushes in, claiming the stone has burst into flames. There is
nothing to be spared, Face says, and Mammon leaves, convinced his sinfulness
has cost him the stone.

In the meantime, Surly tells Dame Pliant that Subtle and Face are conmen. He
tries to tell Kestrel as well, but Kestrel decides to test out his new quarrelling
skills and chases Surly from the house. Suddenly, Doll claims that Face’s
master, Lovewit, has returned and is standing outside. Face tells Doll and Subtle
to pack up their loot and get ready to leave, and then Face goes to shave.
Lovewit is talking to the neighbours, who say a steady stream of people have
been in and out of his house all month. Lovewit asks where his butler, Jeremy,
is, but no one has seen him. Lovewit goes inside and is greeted by Face, who,
since shaving, looks again like Jeremy the butler. He tells Lovewit he was
forced to close up the house after the cat came down with the plague and has
been gone for the past three weeks. The house must have been occupied by
criminals in his absence, Face says. 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. Face
knows he is caught, so he promises to introduce Lovewit to Dame Pliant if he
promises not to punish him. Lovewit agrees and refuses to let in the angry
victims, who go to fetch the police.

Dapper is still interested in meeting the “Fairy Queen,” so Face, Subtle, and
Doll quickly pull one last scam. Doll disguises herself as the Queen, gives
Dapper a bird for good luck, and promises to leave him trunks full of treasure
and “some twelve thousand acres of Fairyland.” Dapper exits just as the police
arrive, and Face tells Subtle and Doll they must leave before they are arrested.
Lovewit has pardoned Face, but not them, and there is no time for them to take
their profits. Doll and Subtle leave angrily, having been tricked and robbed by
Face. Lovewit convinces the police that criminal conmen broke into his house
in his absence, and he chases off Face’s angry victims. Lovewit turns to the
audience and says he is very happy with his new wife, Dame Pliant, and Face
says he is happy to get off “clean” from his crimes and “invite new guests.”

Analysis
Compiled by:
Keerthana R
23ENGD07
I MA English Language Studies

“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is a philosophical novel that explores themes

of destiny, personal legend, and the journey towards self-discovery. Santiago,
the protagonist, embarks on a quest to find his “Personal Legend” and realizes
that the journey is as important as the destination. The novel emphasizes the
importance of listening to one’s heart, following dreams, and embracing the
unknown. Coelho weaves spirituality and mysticism into the narrative,
encouraging readers to reflect on their own life paths and aspirations. The
recurring motif of the Soul of the World suggests interconnectedness and the
idea that everything is part of a larger cosmic plan. Overall, “The Alchemist” is
a timeless tale that resonates with readers seeking inspiration and meaning in
their lives.
It seems like there might be a misunderstanding in your request. When you
mention “3 pegs,” are you referring to a specific context or aspect of “The
Alchemist” that you would like me to analyse? Please provide more details or
clarify, and I’ll do my best to assist you.
"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho is a philosophical novel that delves into
various themes and motifs, offering readers a rich narrative intertwined with
symbolism and allegory.

1. Personal Legend: The concept of a "Personal Legend" is central to the

novel. Santiago's journey to discover his Personal Legend reflects the broader
idea that everyone has a unique purpose or destiny. Coelho suggests that
realizing and pursuing one's dreams is crucial for a fulfilling life.

2. Symbolism of the Desert and Oasis: The desert and oasis serve as powerful
symbols in the novel. The desert represents challenges, hardships, and the
arduous journey one must undertake to achieve their goals. On the other hand,
the oasis signifies a reward, abundance, and the realization of one's dreams.
This symbolism reflects life's contrasts and the need to endure difficulties to
attain success.

3. Language of the World and Personal Legend: Coelho introduces the idea
of the "Language of the World," a universal language that connects individuals
with their surroundings. Santiago learns to understand this language as he
progresses on his journey. It symbolizes a deeper connection between
individuals, nature, and the spiritual realm.

4. Soul of the World: The recurring motif of the Soul of the World emphasizes
interconnectedness. Coelho suggests that everything in the universe is
interconnected, and individuals should listen to their hearts to align with this
universal energy.

5. Alchemy and Transformation: The title itself reflects the theme of alchemy,
the mystical practice of transforming base metals into gold. In the context of the
novel, alchemy is a metaphor for personal transformation and the pursuit of
one's higher self.

6. Characters as Archetypes: Santiago encounters various archetypal

characters, such as the Alchemist and the Englishman. These characters
represent different facets of the human journey and provide valuable lessons and
guidance to Santiago.

7. Spirituality and Mysticism: The novel incorporates spiritual and mystical

elements, drawing inspiration from various religious and philosophical
traditions. It encourages readers to explore their spiritual selves and seek a
deeper understanding of the universe.

In essence, "The Alchemist" is a profound exploration of self-discovery,

spirituality, and the pursuit of dreams. Coelho weaves a narrative that invites
readers to reflect on their own journeys, encouraging them to listen to their
hearts and embrace the transformative power of pursuing their Personal Legend.

BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY (Coimbatore) – 641046

Chaucer and Elizabethan Age
Question Paper

Marks : 75 Marks
Time : 3 hours

Section – A

Multiple Choice Question ( 1 x 10 = 10 )

1) Ben Johnson is famous for his __________plays.

a) Satirical b) tragedy c) tragicomedy

2) During the rule of James I the famous dramatist was _________.

a) Ben Johnson b) Coleridge c) Chaucer

3) Alchemist belongs to which genre _________ .

a) Comedy b) Tragedy c) Epic
 4) Which play did ST Coleridge say as perfect plot and as best play in
Literature.?
a) Alchemist b) Dr.Faustus c) The Duchess of Malfi

5) Loveit moves to London due to the spread of ________?

a) Plague b) Dengue c) Aids

6) Sir Epicure Mammon is a ________ .

a) Clerk b) Doctor c) Business man

7) Dame Pliant is a __________.

a) Widow b) prostitute c) Fairy Queen

8) Who comes in disguise as Spaniard .?

a) Surly b) Subtle c) Kastril

9) Who used the name Face .?

a) Jeremy b) Subtle c) Dapper

10) Ben Johnson dedicate the play Alchemist for .?

a) Mary Lady Worth b) Elizabeth c) Sarah Huckinson

Section – B

Short question and answer ( 5 x 5 = 25 )

11. a) Critically Analyse the title of the play The Alchemist .

(or)
 b) Who was though as Alchemist in the play The Alchemist .?

12. a) What role did Doll Play in the play The Alchemist ?
(or)
c) Why did Jeremy use the name Face .?

13. a) Why did Dapper come to meet Subtle .?

(or)
b) Why did Ananias was in need of Philosophers Stone .?

14. a) Write down the Character sketch of Kastril in the play the Alchemist.
(or)
b) Where is the play Alchemist set and What period does the play belong to
explain the situation of the place when the play Alchemist was written .?

15. a) How does Disguise play a major role in the novel The Alchemist?
(or)
b) Write about the character of Dame Pliant in the novel The Alchemist.

Section – C

Essay Questions ( 5 x 8 = 40 )

16. a) Why is the play The Alchemist is known as Comic play ?

(or)
b) Write about the Character of Face in the play Alchemist.
17. a) Write about the Symbol of Philosophers Stone in the play The Alchemist.
(or)
b) Briefly elaborate the characters who approached Subtle (Alchemist) and
for what reason .?

18. a) Explain the Irony used in the novel The Alchemist.

(or)

b) What happened in the climax of the play The Alchemist?

19. a) Elaborate the theme on Belief and Faith in the novel The Alchemist.
(or)
b) Write about the character and role of Abel Drugger in the play The
Alchemist.

20. a) Explain about the Imagery used in the novel The Alchemist.
(or)
b) Is Dapper a cunny man ? Why ?

Monika B
23ENGD08
I MA English Language Studies