The Alchemist

The Alchemist is a play written by Ben Jonson, first performed in 1610. The play is a satire that follows the story of three con artists, Subtle, Face, and Dol, who set up a fake alchemical laboratory in order to swindle people out of their money. Their plan is complicated by the arrival of a wealthy nobleman, Sir Epicure Mammon, who hopes to use the laboratory to turn base metals into gold and find the philosopher's stone. The play is a commentary on greed, deception, and the dangers of pursuing wealth at any cost. It is also a window into the world of alchemy and the beliefs and practices of those who sought to turn lead into gold. The Alchemist is considered one of Jonson's greatest works and a masterpiece of Renaissance drama.1612. The Alchemist was acted in 1610 and first published in 1612 in quarto. There were no other quarto editions and the play next appeared considerably revised by the author in the corrected folio of 1616. A few more corrections are to be found in the second folio which was published in 1640, four years after Jonson's death. They are the work either of Jonson himself or of Sir Kenhelm Digby. The British Museum copy of the first edition is here reproduced.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.