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Act 1, Scene 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Alchemist, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Alchemy and Transformation
Religion
Sex and Greed
Deception and Gullibility
Summary
Analysis
“Captain, I am here,” Dapper says, addressing Face. Face welcomes him and says he is glad to see him. Dapper claims he nearly didn’t make it; he lent his watch the night before to someone who “dines today at the sheriff’s.” Subtle enters wearing an alchemist’s robes. Dapper asks Face if Subtle is the “cunning man” and doctor, and Face assures him that Subtle is indeed a “cunning man” and doctor. Subtle asks Face if he has already spoken with Dapper about the matter, and Face claims he has. Dapper interrupts and promises he will be most grateful, but Subtle isn’t convinced.
Clearly, Dapper believes that Face is a captain and Subtle is a brilliant, or “cunning,” doctor of alchemy. Dapper is obviously very gullible—he believes easily in Face and Subtle’s scam and he lent his watch to a thief, who has been arrested and “dines today at the sheriff’s.” Not only does Dapper fall for Subtle and Face’s scheme, he is practically begging them to help him, and Subtle plays a little hard to get.
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Face asks Subtle what he is so afraid of, and Subtle says that he fears Dapper will draw him to “apparent danger.” Face asks if Subtle means to say that he fears a “horse draw” and “halter,” and Subtle confirms he does. Face and Dapper tell Subtle to have no such worries. Dapper is no cheat, Face says, and no one is planning to “tell the Vicar.” Subtle argues that if he does give Dapper a “familiar,” he will be able to win any game he plays. Face assures Subtle he is wrong. Dapper only asks for “cups, and horses, / A rifling fly,” but Dapper corrects him. Dapper wants a “familiar” for every game.
While alchemy was not illegal in Jonson’s time, sorcery was, and Dapper wants Subtle to use magic to secure him a “familiar.” A “familiar” is alchemical magic, and Dapper wants it to give him luck at gambling. Dapper, too, is greedy, and he wants to win every game he plays. Subtle pretends he is worried that giving Dapper such magic will get him in trouble with the “Vicars,” who were in charge of rooting out sorcery and magic, and Subtle will be dragged by horses to the “halter,” or gallows, where he will be executed for breaking the law.
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Subtle is smug. See, he says to Face, it is just as he suspected. Face is shocked. Dapper said he only wanted a familiar to help with games on Friday nights, or the occasional bet after work. Yes, Dapper says, but now he is thinking that he will leave the law and wants a familiar to cover all the games. This changes everything, Face says, looking to Subtle. Subtle takes Face to the side. Dapper, Subtle says, is loved by the “Fairy Queen,” and he is very lucky. Dapper overhears and again promises that he will be very grateful and will split his winnings with Subtle and Face.
Again, Dapper is very greedy. He doesn’t just want luck with the occasional bet; he wants to quit his job and live entirely off his dishonest winnings. Subtle and Face clearly want Dapper to overhear them. The “Fairy Queen” is a reference to Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590), in which Fairyland and the fairies are ruled by one powerful queen. Dapper is again very gullible and believes in the Fairy Queen and her approval.
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Face tries to convince Subtle to give Dapper the “familiar.” Dapper could leave here tonight, Face says, and win 5,000 pounds. With half, they would be rich, too. Yes, Dapper agrees, he can make them very rich indeed. Face tells Dapper that he was born under a “rare star” and is connected to the Fairy Queen. Dapper was born with a “caul,” Face says, and Dapper hands him money. Face looks to Subtle and asks him when Dapper will have his “familiar.” Dapper is confused. Doesn’t he get it now, he asks. No, Subtle responds. A “familiar” requires a complicated ritual; it isn’t just handed over. Dapper must first be “bathed and fumigated,” and the Fairy Queen doesn’t get up until the afternoon.
Subtle implies here that Dapper must actually meet the Fairy Queen to get his familiar, and Dapper again believes him. A “caul” is a thin membrane covering the face and eyes at birth, which is often thought to be a good omen. Face refers to Dapper’s horoscope and claims his luck and connection to the Fairy Queen are written in the stars, which Dapper doesn’t have a problem believing either. The complicated ritual and need to “bathe and fumigate” before seeing the Queen is quite ridiculous, but Dapper easily believes it all.
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The Fairy Queen must bless the “familiar,” Subtle says. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Subtle turns to Face and quietly tells him to see Dapper out the back door, and then Subtle turns to Dapper. Dapper must fast, Subtle says, and place three drops of vinegar in his nose, two in his mouth, and one in each ear. Then, Dapper must wash the tips of his fingers and his eyes, “hum” and “buzz” three times, and then return. Subtle turns and leaves the room. Face asks Dapper if he can remember all that, and Dapper assures him that he can. As Face walks Dapper to the back door, he reminds him to put on a clean shirt, too.
Not only is Dapper gullible enough to believe Spenser’s Fairy Queen is real, he also believes in magic and that she must bless it, which again suggests he is very easily duped. The ritual Subtle orders Dapper to complete is completely ridiculous, but he is willing to do it to get his familiar and satisfy his greed. Subtle tells Face to sneak Dapper out the back door, which suggests they don’t want their victims running into each other.
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