Satire In The Alchemist

The satire that appears throughout The Alchemist does more than show the flaws in society, it creates and supports the intricate character-based theme of reality versus desire that helps to “sell” the image of London that Jonson creates. As stated earlier, The Alchemist relies on a gambit of fabricated characters, with the three main characters, Face, Subtle, and Doll, relying heavily on made-up personas that help them with their cons. Besides protecting the main characters, the personas used serve to show the reader who the three desire to be. The theme of reality versus desire appears here first, but it is not the last time the reader sees it reappear. Like the character based satire in the play, the theme appears only in the characters and their desire to be what they are not.
This balance is incredibly necessary so that the characteristics that are emphasized by Jonson do not over-power the play, but support the theme. Every one of the characters within The Alchemist desire to be transformed so they may realize their wildest dreams, but instead of working hard to change themselves, they try to take the fast way out. This need to cut corners to get what they want is why each dupe is so easily strung along and played by the con-artists. Only Drugger, the second dupe to be conned by the group, seems to have somewhat reasonable desires for who he is, only wanting tips for improving his shop and business. However he, too, wants to go beyond practicality, wanting his business to flourish as soon as possible, so he does what Subtle tells him. Subtle tells