Deception and Gullibility Theme Analysis

Deception and gullibility are the very foundation of Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. The play is based on two conmen, Face and Subtle, who use deception to “cozen,” or trick, gullible Londoners into believing they are experts of alchemy in possession of the philosopher’s stone. The very practice of alchemy itself connotes deception and gullibility. Alchemy was viewed as a legitimate branch of science in Jonson’s day; however, the field of alchemy was also known to be saturated with imposters and charlatans—frauds looking to swindle unsuspecting people who turned to alchemy for valid reasons. Alchemy, an early from of chemistry, was credited with the discovery of many important medicines, and since Jonson’s play takes place during a major plague, it is no wonder his characters want so badly to believe in the power of alchemy. Face and Subtle are not the only characters in The Alchemist to use deception, and when Face and Subtle deceive each other, they prove to be just as gullible as their victims. Deception and gullibility are everywhere in The Alchemist, and, Jonson thus implies, in the real world as well. Jonson draws attention to the unfortunate reality of deception and ultimately argues that everyone is at risk of being duped. 

Most of Jonson’s characters employ deception in some way, implying that deceptive practices are common in broader society. Face and Subtle’s con depends on them convincing their victims that they are experts in alchemy. As such, Subtle dresses in long robes and claims to be a respected doctor of alchemy. Face pretends to be one of Subtle’s students, and they dupe their victims into believing their story through costumes and speaking in alchemical jargon. Surly, the friend of Mammon (one of Face and Subtle’s victims), suspects that Face and Subtle are cons when they promise to deliver the philosopher’s stone. To expose them as frauds, Surly arrives at Face and Subtle’s house disguised as a Spaniard. Surly’s deception works, and even though it does him little good, he exposes Face and Subtle as frauds. Doll, Face and Subtle’s criminal associate, likewise uses deception to dupe their victims. Dressed as the “Fairy Queen,” Doll convinces Dapper, a clerk and their first victim, that she is the keeper of the magic of the philosopher’s stone. Like most of the deception depicted in The Alchemist, Doll manages to convince Dapper of her mystical identity.

In addition to the successful deception of many of Jonson’s characters, their victims—who are otherwise intelligent people—prove to be incredibly gullible, especially Dapper, a law clerk and Subtle and Face’s first victim. This gullibility implies that even smart people are vulnerable to deception. When Dapper first arrives at Face’s door, he tells Face that he nearly didn’t make it. The night before, Dapper lent his watch “to one / That dines today at the sheriff’s and so was robbed / Of [his] pass-time.” Dapper is immediately portrayed as gullible, as he borrowed his watch to a thief without realizing it. Dapper, who comes to Face and Subtle in search of a “familiar”—a bit of alchemical magic that will give him luck at gambling and cards—instantly believes Face and Subtle when they tell him that he must obtain such “familiars” from the “Fairy Queen.” Furthermore, Dapper believes the ritual Face and Subtle insist must be completed before meeting the Fairy. They claim Dapper must first fast and “take / Three drops of vinegar in at [his] nose; / Two at [his] mouth; and one at either ear; / Then bathe [his] fingers’ ends; and wash [his] eyes.” Dapper must also “hum” and “buzz” three times, and only then will the Fairy see him. Dapper proves to be exceedingly gullible, and he immediately rushes home to complete the ritual. Before Dapper finally meets the Fairy Queen (who is, of course, Doll in disguise), Face and Subtle convince him that he must greet her in a petticoat. Dapper again proves himself gullible and dresses in a petticoat, and he further allows Face and Subtle to blindfold him and gag him with a rag and “a piece of gingerbread” shoved into his mouth. Dapper submits to each of these humiliations just to meet the Fairy Queen and get his “familiar.”

Face, as it turns out, is deceiving everyone and is really a butler named Jeremy. His master, Lovewit, returns from the country at the end of the play to find Jeremy posing as Face and running cons out of his home with Subtle. Jeremy manages to convince Lovewit not to punish him by bribing Lovewit with Dame Pliant, a beautiful, young woman, and when Face’s victims converge on the house with police looking for the conmen who swindled them, Lovewit claims his house has been closed up for nearly a month and was broken in by criminal conmen, who have long since fled. Lovewit likewise uses deception, and the police and the victims fall for his lies, which further speaks to the deception and gullibility of broader society.