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dan13dean's review
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
joannemfg's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sarbear19's review against another edition
2.0
A little cryptic but I feel like a re-read (which I don’t have the motivation to do) would clear things up and make them more enjoyable.
allie_english's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this for a university module and can honesty say it was one of the funniest Renaissance dramas I've ever come across.
paperbookmarks's review
3.0
Read for Renaissance Literature module.
After receiving my reading list for September, I wondered down to my local library to get a head start. There I found the copy of Jonson's plays that I'd pondered over whilst procrastinating during my A levels. Until now I'd never read anything by Jonson, and even though it wasn't quite Shakespeare, he manages to tell a rather complex tale. The characters are distinctive and the plot twists and turns every page. I can't wait to study this play!
After receiving my reading list for September, I wondered down to my local library to get a head start. There I found the copy of Jonson's plays that I'd pondered over whilst procrastinating during my A levels. Until now I'd never read anything by Jonson, and even though it wasn't quite Shakespeare, he manages to tell a rather complex tale. The characters are distinctive and the plot twists and turns every page. I can't wait to study this play!
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in March 2001.
Like several others of Jonson's plays, The Alchemist is very long; in this case the length is used to build up from a slowish start, gradually increasing in pace until the farcical denoument.
A group of three tricksters, Face, Subtle and Dol Common, are using a borrowed house to get money through the pretended practise of alchemy, persuading people to pay to see wonders or to finance the supposed creation of gold from other metals. The major problem that they have is that this works too well, with new customers arriving before they have finished with earlier ones.
Apart from [b:Volpone|752868|Volpone|Ben Jonson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328023235s/752868.jpg|766578], The Alchemist is probably the easiest of Jonson's plays to enjoy today. A modern audience will probably be lost with much of the mystical discussion of Face and Subtle, used to convince their victims. It is however apparently genuine, and even so it doesn't need to be followed in great detail. The subject matter, then, has dated; but the structure and characterisation in the play is very well done.
Like several others of Jonson's plays, The Alchemist is very long; in this case the length is used to build up from a slowish start, gradually increasing in pace until the farcical denoument.
A group of three tricksters, Face, Subtle and Dol Common, are using a borrowed house to get money through the pretended practise of alchemy, persuading people to pay to see wonders or to finance the supposed creation of gold from other metals. The major problem that they have is that this works too well, with new customers arriving before they have finished with earlier ones.
Apart from [b:Volpone|752868|Volpone|Ben Jonson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328023235s/752868.jpg|766578], The Alchemist is probably the easiest of Jonson's plays to enjoy today. A modern audience will probably be lost with much of the mystical discussion of Face and Subtle, used to convince their victims. It is however apparently genuine, and even so it doesn't need to be followed in great detail. The subject matter, then, has dated; but the structure and characterisation in the play is very well done.
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