Dover Publications

Volpone and The Alchemist

Ben Jonson

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Table of contents
  • Title Page2
  • Copyright Page3
  • Note4
  • Table of Contents5
  • Volpone6
  • DRAMATIS PERSONAE7
  • THE ARGUMENT8
  • PROLOGUE9
  • ACT I10
  • SCENE I.—A room in Volpone’s house10
  • SCENE II.—The same10
  • SCENE III.—The same11
  • SCENE IV.—The same12
  • SCENE V.—The same14
  • ACT II16
  • SCENE I.—St. Mark’s Place; a retired corner before Corvino’s house16
  • SCENE II.17
  • SCENE III.—The same19
  • SCENE IV.—A room in Volpone’s house19
  • SCENE V.—A room in Corvino’s house20
  • SCENE VI.— The same20
  • SCENE VII.—The same21
  • ACT III22
  • SCENE I.— A street22
  • SCENE II.—The same22
  • SCENE III. —A room in Volpone’s house22
  • SCENE IV. —The same23
  • SCENE V.—The same24
  • SCENE VI.—The same24
  • SCENE VII.—The same24
  • SCENE VIII.—The same26
  • SCENE IX.— The same27
  • ACT IV28
  • SCENE I.—A street28
  • SCENE II.—The same29
  • SCENE III.—The same29
  • SCENE IV.—The Scrutineo30
  • SCENE V.—The same30
  • SCENE VI.—The same31
  • ACT V33
  • SCENE I. —A room in Volpone’s house33
  • SCENE II.—The same33
  • SCENE III.—The same34
  • SCENE IV—A hall in Sir Politic’s house35
  • SCENE V.—A room in Volpone’s house36
  • SCENE VI.— A street36
  • SCENE VII.—The same36
  • SCENE VIII.—The Scrutineo36
  • SCENE IX.—The same37
  • SCENE X.—The same37
  • SCENE XI.—A street37
  • SCENE XII.—The Scrutineo38
  • The Alchemist40
  • DRAMATIS PERSONAE41
  • TO THE READER42
  • ARGUMENT43
  • PROLOGUE44
  • ACT I45
  • SCENE I.—A room in Lovewit’s house45
  • SCENE II.— The same46
  • SCENE III.—The same48
  • SCENE IV.—The same49
  • ACT II50
  • SCENE I.—An outer room in Lovewit’s house50
  • SCENE II.— The same50
  • SCENE III.—The same51
  • SCENE IV.—The same54
  • SCENE V.—The same55
  • SCENE VI.—The same55
  • ACT III57
  • SCENE I.—The lane before Lovewit’s house57
  • SCENE II.—A room in Lovewit’s house57
  • SCENE III.—The same58
  • SCENE IV.—The same59
  • SCENE V.—The same61
  • ACT IV62
  • SCENE I.—A room in Lovewit’s house62
  • SCENE II.—The same63
  • SCENE III.—The same64
  • SCENE IV.—Another room in the same65
  • SCENE V.—Another room in the same66
  • SCENE VI.—Another room in the same67
  • SCENE VII.—The same67
  • ACT V70
  • SCENE I.— Before Lovewit’s door70
  • SCENE II.— The same70
  • SCENE III.—The same70
  • SCENE IV.—A room in the same71
  • SCENE V.—An outer room in the same73
  • DOVER • THRIFT • EDITIONS - PLAYS76
Book details
  • Vendor Dover Publications
  • SKU 9780486153643
  • ISBN-13 9780486153643
  • Author Ben Jonson
  • Category Drama
  • Subject English

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Much-studied and frequently performed, these comedies by the great Elizabethan playwright Ben Jonson 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.