Volpone and The Alchemist
Much-studied and frequently performed, these comedies by the great Elizabethan playwright Ben Johnson satirize the greed, mendacity, gullibility, and pretension of seventeenth-century London society. Both plays abound in colorful characters, ingenious plotting, biting wit, and sharp insight into human nature. In Volpone (1605), a crafty rich man attempts to augment his wealth by feigning a mortal illness. His wealthy neighbors, spying the opportunity for an inheritance, vie with each other in courting the?dying? man's favor. The Alchemist (1610) comprises a likewise avaricious cast, headed by a butler and prostitute who join forces with a swindler claiming to possess the philosopher's stone. The trio hosts a parade of eager victims whose hypocrisy and greed place them on a moral footing similar to that of the tricksters. Both plays offer sparkling examples of their author's novel approach to satire and his distinctive blend of savagery, humor, moralism, and a powerful sense of the absurd
Drama
1 online resource
9781306366021, 9780486153643, 130636602X, 0486153649
868968555
Print version:
Title Page; Copyright Page; Note; Table of Contents; Volpone; DRAMATIS PERSONAE; THE ARGUMENT; PROLOGUE; ACT I; SCENE I.-A room in Volpone's house; SCENE II.-The same; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-The same; SCENE V.-The same; ACT II; SCENE I.-St. Mark's Place; a retired corner before Corvino's house; SCENE II.; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-A room in Volpone's house; SCENE V.-A room in Corvino's house; SCENE VI.- The same; SCENE VII.-The same; ACT III; SCENE I.- A street; SCENE II.-The same; SCENE III.-A room in Volpone's house; SCENE IV.-The same; SCENE V.-The same; SCENE VI.-The same. SCENE VII.-The sameSCENE VIII.-The same; SCENE IX.- The same; ACT IV; SCENE I.-A street; SCENE II.-The same; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-The Scrutineo; SCENE V.-The same; SCENE VI.-The same; ACT V; SCENE I.-A room in Volpone's house; SCENE II.-The same; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV-A hall in Sir Politic's house; SCENE V.-A room in Volpone's house; SCENE VI.- A street; SCENE VII.-The same; SCENE VIII.-The Scrutineo; SCENE IX.-The same; SCENE X.-The same; SCENE XI.-A street; SCENE XII.-The Scrutineo; The Alchemist; DRAMATIS PERSONAE; TO THE READER; ARGUMENT; PROLOGUE; ACT I. SCENE I.-A room in Lovewit's houseSCENE II.- The same; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-The same; ACT II; SCENE I.-An outer room in Lovewit's house; SCENE II.- The same; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-The same; SCENE V.-The same; SCENE VI.-The same; ACT III; SCENE I.-The lane before Lovewit's house; SCENE II.-A room in Lovewit's house; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-The same; SCENE V.-The same; ACT IV; SCENE I.-A room in Lovewit's house; SCENE II.-The same; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-Another room in the same; SCENE V.-Another room in the same; SCENE VI.-Another room in the same. SCENE VII.-The sameACT V; SCENE I.- Before Lovewit's door; SCENE II.- The same; SCENE III.-The same; SCENE IV.-A room in the same; SCENE V.-An outer room in the same; DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS
PLAYS
English