It is a comedy by Ben Jonson, first acted in 1610. The scene is a house in London during a visitation of the plague; its master, Lovewit, has taken refuge in the country, leaving his servant, Face, in charge. Face introduces two rogues: Subtle, a charlatan alchemist and Dol Common, a whore. Together they collaborate in turning the house into a centre for the practice of alchemy in the expectation that they can attract credulous clients who believe that alchemical magic can bring them their heart’s desire.
Sir Epicure Mammon dreams of limitless luxury and the satisfaction of his lust; Drugger, a tobacco merchant, wants prosperity for his business; Dapper, a lawyer’s clerk, seeks a spirit to guarantee him success in gambling; Kastril, a young country squire, desires a rich husband for his sister (Dame Pliant). Each of the clients has to be deceived by a separate technique. And then Lovewit suddenly returns – a crisis which only Face survives. He expels Subtle and Dol Common. The play is one of Jonson’s best. Moreover, the characterization has behind it the force of Jonson’s conviction that human folly is limitless and can only be cured by exposure.
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