The Alchemist

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1610

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Before You Read

Summary

Background

Act Summaries & Analyses

Dedication-Prologue

Act I, Scenes 1-4

Act II, Scenes 1-6

Act III, Scenes 1-5

Act IV, Scenes 1-7

Act V, Scenes 1-5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Who is the real criminal of the play? Is any character worse than another, or are all the characters equally dishonest and immoral? Why might some of their crimes be worse than others?

Why does Jonson focus on characters that deceive and trick one another? Does he succeed in showing the dangers of gullibility? Why or why not?

Face has many personas, but is any of them the real Face? What indicates that one persona is more real than another? What does this character say about identity as an outward construct versus an innate set of traits?