The play is the scenario of London and writer criticizes all social classes through his pitiless satire and wit
Abdul Sattar Channa
About Author
Ben Jonson is a Playwright, belonging to the Golden period of English Literature – The Elizabethan Age. He was born around 1572 and died on 6th August 1637. His presence was overshadowed by contemporary playwright Shakespeare, but still Ben Jonson was able to represent himself through his work and contribution to English literature.
Ben Jonson was posthumous child which led him in his early age to face financial issues and it resulted as to give up on his studies. Later he joined the army as soldier which was not much in favor of him so he quit it. As theaters were on their peak at that period so he decided to become an actor and joined theater, where he found himself not good at acting in both tragedy as well as comedy and so he made up his mind to master the art of writing plays. His hard work crowned him with the art of writing plays which not only earned him popularity and success but brought a conflict between him and his rivals Dekker and Marston which was turned into “war of theaters” and his hot blood led him to introduce the experimental plays known as Comical Satire through which he criticized his rivals. Ben Jonson was famous for his mature and weighty comedy as he was aspired by classism so his philosophy differed from Shakespeare’s.
Ben Jonson was posthumous child which led him in his early age to face financial issues and making him to give up his studies
Ben Jonson’s life has remained full of tragedies, when he toured the Scotland a tragedy occurred, that his house got fire and all his scripts and works were turned into ashes. Similarly, as other writers and philosophers suffered the cruelty of life so he did too, in shape of being paralyzed, indebted and last years darkened by illness.
Review
The Alchemist is a Mature Comedy Play in five acts Written by Ben Jon in 1610 and later it was published in 1612.
The writer has written play in such outstanding way that has not only helped it to survive and maintain its charm but have enriched it too with multiple themes and Human nature. The play represents the epoch and multiple people belonging to different classes and professions. Moreover the play is rich in terms of coherence and unity of place and time.
The writer has depicted Human nature as greed, covetousness, lust, transmutation through multiple characters which all want to get rich in short span of time and they go for the shortcut which led them to get deceived. Moreover play depicts the imbalance and inconsistency of human. The writer’s motivation to write the play is a sentence which he has quoted in the play that “Covetousness is the root of all evil” which became the main center of play and writer has tried to prove it through multiple characters.
The writer has depicted Human nature as greed, covetousness, lust, transmutation through multiple characters
The main Character Jeremy Butler who gives himself a new name “Captain Face” is the servant of an old man named “Lovewit”, groups with Alchemist named “Subtle” and a prostitute called “Doll Common” in order to cheat people. The servant Jeremy Butler gets spoiled when his Master Lovewit leaves city as plague has occurred, and hands over the charge of house to his servant Jeremy Butler (Captain Face) to take care of house. Jeremy Butler provides house to his companions Subtle and Doll to stay and use it to gull the people.
The Play’s starting scenario is the quarrel between Subtle and Captain Face as the Conflict has started on unequal division of work. Both of them charge each other with their past. Captain face charges Subtle that he was no better than a beggar as he had no place to live, food to eat and even clothes to cover his body. Right now whatsoever he has, are blessings of Captain Face. In counter, Subtle charges him that His (Captain Face) condition was no better than any fool who was living alone in house with rats and spider and even did not know how to speak well. Subtle asks him to be grateful of him as he taught him how to dress, speak well-mannered and multiple tricks plus art of gull. The Doll intervened between them to resolve their conflict, who was standing aside during their whole conversation. She asked both of them to work for their common welfare and when she found that her companions were not easy to control; she snatched the sword from Captain Face and broke the glass which Subtle was holding. Moreover she threatens him to work for their common interest.
The Setting of Play is London and if we talk about the characterization of characters it is outstanding. Writer has depicted Human nature that how man tries to take advantage over other and its consequences. Furthermore play depicts imbalance and inconsistency of Human as Subtle remains in conflict with Jeremy Butler throughout play even being companion of him. The Trio consists of Subtle, who is cheater far more than Alchemist. Jeremy Butler, who changed his name to Captain Face and brings clients to Subtle. The last member of trio is Doll Common, a prostitute as its name “common” indicates “to be available for everyone”.
The Trio has got same flaw like their clients as both are trying to achieve their desires through shortcuts. The victims gulled by trio includes: Intemperate Knight Sir Epicure Mammon, whose name’s 1st letters and personality represents gluttony, greed, lust and covetousness. 2nd victim is gamester law clerk named Drapper. Third one is Abel Drugger, an ambitious tobacconist who believes in astronomy. Then there are the pretentious Puritans Ananias (Servant) and his Master Priest Tribulation. Both of them have hunger for power and money. Later we have Surly a skeptical character, who plans to catch Trio naked handed and does the function of assistant of Mammon. Moreover he criticizes Mammon that he is only made fool. In last we find Kastril a furious boy who wants to master the art of formal quarreling and his widow Sister Dame Pliant who is interested to learn her fortune.
The Play is based on multiple themes: 1st one is Reality vs Desire. It is part of human nature that everybody wants to achieve high status in society but is not ready to work for it, hence they go for shortcuts which results as being deceived so is the case to all characters of play. The 2nd one is Alchemy and Transformation and 3rd one is Self-Deception.
The play is the scenario of London and writer criticizes all social classes through his pitiless satire and wit.
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Abdul Sattar Channa is BS English Student at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Nawabshah Sindh
