{"product_id":"9780486153643","title":"Volpone and The Alchemist","description":"Much-studied and frequently performed, these comedies by the great Elizabethan playwright Ben Jonson satirize the greed, mendacity, gullibility, and pretension of seventeenth-century London society. Both plays abound in colorful characters, ingenious plotting, biting wit, and sharp insight into human nature. \u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eVolpone\u003c\/i\u003e (1605), a crafty rich man attempts to augment his wealth by feigning a mortal illness. His wealthy neighbors, spying the opportunity for an inheritance, vie with each other in courting the “dying” man’s favor. \u003ci\u003eThe Alchemist\u003c\/i\u003e (1610) comprises a likewise avaricious cast, headed by a butler and prostitute who join forces with a swindler claiming to possess the philosopher's stone. The trio hosts a parade of eager victims whose hypocrisy and greed place them on a moral footing similar to that of the tricksters. Both plays offer sparkling examples of their author's novel approach to satire and his distinctive blend of savagery, humor, moralism, and a powerful sense of the absurd.","brand":"Dover Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47156796850416,"sku":"9780486153643","price":3.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780486153643_p0.jpg?v=1763708186","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780486153643","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}