Puritanism as a topical allusion in The Alchemist

      The Alchemist by Ben Jonson, a contemporary and rival of William Shakespeare, is a prime example of Johnson's established tendency to contextualize a play’s setting within the modernity of seventeenth century London. Specifically situated in Blackfriars, the location in which the play was also first performed; The Alchemist is primarily dependent upon topical allusions that would have resonated with audience members of the time. Most notable of these allusions, is Jonson’s satirical critiques of Puritanism in the seventeenth century.

      Jonson’s assessment of Puritanism is particularly distinctive when one considers that the multitude of plays and literature criticizing religion were primarily devoted to commentary regarding the discrepancies and confrontation that existed between Protestantism and Catholicism throughout the Renaissance. The comedic aspects of The Alchemist are achieved through Jonson’s exploitation and identification of social mannerism that expose the hypocrisy and inevitable follies that are prominent in each individual regardless of social affluence. Jeanette D. Ferreira-Ross in her article entitled “Jonson’s Satire of Puritanism in The Alchemist,” asserts that Jonson’s allusions to Puritanism are intentional and are presented in such a way that exposes the sect’s inherent hypocrisies and criticizes what she refers to as “religious cant”. Ross implies that unlike other playwrights, Jonson was exceptionally opposed to familism and therefore constructed his rather blunt allusions in a way that could easily be identified within the context of Renaissance London. The play itself relies upon allusions to fully elucidate Jonson’s religious satire concerning the hypocrisy characterizing the Puritanical sect.<Ross>

    Examples of Jonson’s allusions and subsequent critique of Puritans are easily discernible throughout the play. Perhaps the most notable instance occurs in Act I scene one whenever Dol Common chides the inauspicious relationship between Subtle and Face: “Who shall take your word? A whore sonne, upstart, apocryphal captain, whom not a Puritan in Blackfriars will trust so much as for a feather!” Dol’s allusions to Puritans continue and become more poignant when she identifies Blackfriars as a Puritan district and exclaims, “Shall we go make a sort of sober, scurvy, precise neighbors, that scarce have smiled twice since the king came in, a feast of laughter at our follies?” Dol’s reference to the king serves a historical allusion to the conflict that prevailed between James I and the Puritans following the Hampton Court Conference in 1604 when the newly crowned King decline the Puritan’s advancements for aid.<Ross> The pinnacle of Jonson’s allusions and criticism is expressed in the characters of Ananias and Tribulation Wholesome, two Puritans who despite their supposed religious piety, consort with the blasphemous endeavors of Subtle as he cons various characters to invest in his false promises to produce the philosopher’s stone through alchemical experiments. Tribulation verbally acknowledges his own hypocrisy whenever he addresses Ananias’ doubts by responding: “Good Brother, we must bend unto all means, that may giver furtherance to the holy cause.” Generally speaking, the setting of The Alchemist in addition to the actual performance location at Blackfriars insinuates a variety of critical allusions and comedic jokes that would have resonated more with contemporary Renaissance playgoers as opposed to a modern audience today.

P.S On an unrelated note, if you have been following this blog and have read the post concerning the influence of Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia, it may interest you to know that The Alchemist was also dedicated to Lady Mary Wroth, sister to Sir Philip Sidney.