Ben Jonson

The Alchemist

Comedy of alchemical con artists and duped patrons seeking transmutation of base metals

About the author

Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson

Shakespeare's great rival and contemporary, Jonson brought classical learning and satirical ferocity to the English stage. His comedies of humors dissected social pretension with mordant wit. He was the first English writer to publish his own collected works, asserting literature's claim to lasting dignity.

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