Sex and Greed Theme Analysis

Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist is rife with vice and sin. The play focuses on Face and Subtle, two conmen who pose as expert alchemists with knowledge of the philosopher’s stone to swindle unsuspecting Londoners—known in the play as “gulls”—out of money and loose metal. Face and Subtle work closely with Doll, a prostitute who helps to lure and scam their victims, and each of the “gulls” they target are in search of alchemy and the philosopher’s stone to selfish ends, such as personal wealth and sexual prowess. In the prologue, Jonson claims the play is set in London, as “No clime breeds better matter for your whore, / Bawd, squire, impostor, many persons more.” Jonson deliberately highlights vice and sin, primarily sex and greed, and those who commit such moral crimes are the basis of his satire; however, Jonson does not attempt to pass moral judgement on such sinners, and he doesn’t explicitly condemn their behavior. Instead, Jonson maintains that he only hopes to encourage such sinners to be “better men.” With the widespread depiction of sex and greed in The Alchemist, Jonson highlights the frequency with which such sins are committed and ultimately argues that such behavior is merely human nature.

In addition to Doll’s career as a prostitute, there are multiple references to sex within the play, which suggests that almost everyone is having sex, despite the popular belief that sex should be confined to marriage. As the play opens, Face and Subtle are the middle of an argument, and Doll fears their loud voices will alert the neighbors to their illegal activities, so she silences them with sex. Subtle and Face agree to draw straws after supper, and “the longest cut, at night, / Shall draw thee for his Doll Particular.” In other words, whoever draws the longest straw gets to spend the night with Doll. When Mammon, one of Face and Subtle’s victims, believes he will soon possess the philosopher’s stone, he plans to use the elixir of life to give him sexual strength and stamina—enough “to encounter fifty [women] a night.” Then, Mammon says, he will fill his room with mirrors, “to disperse / And multiply the figures as I walk / Naked between my succubae.”  What Mammon means is that he wants the philosopher’s stone so he can have sex with 50 women—in this case prostitutes—each night. As Mammon is waiting for Subtle to finish creating the philosopher’s stone, Mammon sneaks off to have sex with Doll, a decision which causes the stone to supposedly burst into flames. According to Subtle, the philosopher’s stone can only be created for those with pure intentions, and Mammon’s behavior with Doll proves he isn’t pure. Of course, Subtle isn’t an alchemist, and he doesn’t have possession of the philosopher’s stone. Subtle knows that Mammon would seduce Doll if given the chance, and it is the perfect excuse to explain Subtle’s inability to produce the philosopher’s stone.

In addition to sex, The Alchemist is also rife with greed, which implies that greed is similarly common and widespread. The argument between Face and Subtle that occurs at the beginning of the play begins because Subtle claims “a primacy in the divisions” and says he “must be chief.” As the one posing as the alchemist, Subtle believes he deserves to be in charge and get a larger cut of the profits. Subtle is greedy, and he wants more money than Face, who only lures their victims into the trap. When Face lures their first victim, a local clerk named Dapper, to Subtle, Dapper claims to be in search of “a familiar,” a bit of alchemical magic that will give him an advantage in cards and gambling. “I would have it for all games,” Dapper says to Subtle, proving he is just as greedy as the rest of them. Mammon, too, proves to be greedy. With the philosopher’s stone, Mammon hopes to change all the loose metal in his house to gold, and then he will move on to the metal belonging to others. “And early in the morning,” Mammon says, “will I send / To all the plumbers and the pewterers, / And buy their tin and lead up; and to Lothbury, / For all the copper.” Mammon isn’t satisfied with just a little bit of gold; he wants as much as he can possibly get his hands on.

It is not only Face, Subtle, and their victims who are guilty of the sins of greed and inappropriate sex. After Lovewit—Face’s master and the owner of the house where Face and Subtle execute their cons—returns home from the country to find his butler, Face, running an illegal operation out of his house, Face convinces Lovewit not to punish him. “I’ll help you to a widow,” Face says. “In recompense, that you shall gi’ me thanks for, / Will make you seven years younger, and a rich one.” Lovewit agrees not to punish Face in exchange for Dame Pliant, a young, rich woman. Lovewit proves himself to be just as greedy and interested in sex as the rest of the characters, which, Jonson thus implies, are very popular sins. Jonson states in the prologue that theatergoers will find in his play “things they’d think, or wish, were done.” In short, the vices in Jonson’s play, especially greed and sex, are “natural follies” that “doers may see, and yet not own.” With this, Jonson implies that most people are guilty in some way of greed and sex, even if they don’t admit it.