Bøker av Ben Jonson

First performed in 1610, The Alchemist is one of Ben Jonson¿s greatest comedies. Written for the King¿s Men¿the acting company to which Shakespeare belonged¿it was first performed in Oxford because the playhouses in London were closed due to the plague. It was an immediate success and has remained a popular staple ever since.The play centers around a con man, his female accomplice, and a roguish butler who uses his master¿s house to gull a series of victims out of their money and goods. Jonson uses the play to satirize as many people as he can¿pompous lords, greedy commoners, and self-righteous Anabaptists alike¿as his three con artists proceed to bilk everyone who comes to their door. They don multiple roles and weave elaborate tales to exploit their victims¿ greed and amass a small fortune. But it all comes to a sudden, raucous end when the master unexpectedly returns to London and all the victims gather to try and reclaim their property.

The Alchemist is a comedy written by English dramatist Ben Jonson. It is usually regarded as Jonson's best and most recognizable comedy, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge thought it had one of the three most flawless storylines in literature when it was first played in 1610 by the King's Men. Aside from a brief period of neglect during the Victorian era, the play's deft fulfillment of the classical units and realistic portrayal of human foolishness have made it one of the few Renaissance dramas (aside from Shakespeare's plays) with an ongoing existence on stage. It is the first time he has applied his traditional understanding of theater to a setting in modern-day London. A gentleman named Lovewit is forced to leave London briefly due to the plague. He leaves his butler, Jeremy, in charge of his plague-damaged home. Jeremy transforms himself into "Captain Face," and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman. Dapper is blindfolded and subjected to 'fairy' humiliations by the Anabaptists. Returning Dapper is assured that he will soon meet the Fairy Queen. Mammon is introduced to Dol, who has been told that Dol is a nobleman's sister who has gone mad.

This beautifully produced, unabridged edition of The Alchemist, Ben Jonson’s most celebrated comedy, is an essential addition to any bibliophile’s library.