The Alchemist (play)

for other works by this name, see the disambiguation page for this title

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The Alchemist is a play in five acts by Ben Jonson. It was first staged in 1610, probably at the Globe Theatre. Of his plays, this is most commonly considered the best, though some prefer Volpone or Bartholomew Fair.

Related Topics:
Ben Jonson - 1610 - Globe Theatre - Volpone - Bartholomew Fair

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The play is set in contemporary 17th century London, and concerns the adventures of three low characters, Subtle, Face, and Dol Common, who have set up a fraudulent alchemical workshop in order to swindle gullible townspeople.

Related Topics:
17th century - London - Alchemical

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Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that The Alchemist was one of the most perfectly constructed plots he knew, the others being Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles and Tom Jones by Henry Fielding.

Related Topics:
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Oedipus Tyrannus - Sophocles - Tom Jones - Henry Fielding

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