The Alchemist

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The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King’s Men, it is generally considered Jonson’s best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge believed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature. The play’s clever fulfillment of the classical unities and vivid depiction of human folly have made it one of the few Renaissance plays barring the works of Shakespeare, with continuing performances on stage, except for a period of neglect during the Victorian era. The comedy transported a classical drama into contemporary London, resulting in a fully modernized depiction of human folly, vice and foolishness. The Alchemist is generally considered one of Jonson’s most vivid and characteristic works, and was recognized by Samuel Taylor Coleridge as one of the three most perfect plots in literature. It remains one of Jonson’s most revived plays.