Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Ben Jonson has a literary rep for being totally obsessed with the importance of his characters' names. (Source: Anne Barton's Ben Jonson: Dramatist, 1984) How does Jonson use names in The Alchemist to reveal important information about his characters and some of the play's major themes (like, say, the theme of "transformation")?
- Some folks argue that the characters in The Alchemist are just simple literary "types." (The "trickster," "the religious fanatic," the "prostitute," etc.) Do you think that's true? Or, do you think Jonson's interest in characterization is more complicated and detailed?
- How the heck is it possible that Subtle, Face, and Doll Common are able to dupe so many people for such an extended period of time? What does this suggest about the play's attitude toward human nature, greed, foolishness, and folly?
- According to scholar Andrew Hadfield, Jonson was "sharper, funnier, and more varied than the Bard [Shakespeare]." Do you think that's true? Why or why not? (Source)
- If Ben Jonson were alive today, which modern satirist do you think he'd like the best? Why?
- How does this comedy compare to any one of Will Shakespeare's comedies? (Like, say, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, or Twelfth Night? Do you think Jonson takes a different (or new) approach to the genre of comedy? Why or why not?
- What are some other stories or movies about con artists that seem like they've been influenced by Jonson's play?
- Why do you think this play is titled The Alchemist? What's the play's overall attitude toward alchemy and the idea of transforming something base into something noble?
- In the play's closing lines, Face invites us to judge the characters and the play as if we were a courtroom jury instead of a theater audience. Do you think the ending of The Alchemist delivers any dramatic "justice"? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Ben Jonson isn't as well known today as his fellow playwright, Will Shakespeare?