The Alchemist as an Allegory

The allegory in The Alchemist

The allegory in the play The Alchemist is a topic worth discussion. The gulls are gullible to the tricks of conmen. Coleridge had put forth the idea of `willing suspension of disbelief’ and the present play, from the Prologue onwards, demands it from the audience. Although the gulls do not disbelieve the tale, we, the audience of Jonson, know that they are not real. Belief is essential to theatre and the play’s many metatheatrical forays play on this theme. Jonson exploits theatrical convention to alienate the audience, such as when Surly, as a Spaniard, initially seems to be another character altogether.
Alchemy theory suggests that things are in a constant state of flux and transformation and several parts of the play deal explicitly with this notion. Not only do the characters themselves transform to other characters, but their wares, their fears, and their faith are easily transformed into gold for the conmen. Subtle’s status as the Alchemist is questioned throughout the play.
We may note that the process of alchemy itself is closely related to theatre, as, in addition to theatrical transformations, the theatre offers a world in which magical things could happen.
Gold is the result of alchemy, even though the goal is only aspirational. It does play a major part in the play, as the motivation for just anything that happens. The gulls are greedy for the gold, in order to achieve their dreams. The conmen are greedy for the gold they make from trickstery. Face’s epilogue suggests that the theatre audience has handed over the gold to be similar tricked with a false story on stage. The conmen are actors who take on roles to suit their audience, and in the end they trick the real audience as well as the gulls.
The play poses interesting questions about the nature of working and living together. The thread of allegory running throughout makes it a truly allegorical play.