For some it's God, for others its material goods, whatever it may be, it captivates the soul and acts as a compass, guiding it and feeding it what it desires. Although the idea of an ultimate good may be nonexistent to some, for many it is their primary pursuit and is extremely evident in their lives. In Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, the characters praise one ultimate good in particular: the "philosopher's stone". The philosopher’s stone, or rather the idea of it, captivates the minds and souls of many of the characters. The stone holds meaning outside The Alchemist as well. In fact, the philosopher’s stone stood as the main goal for alchemists through out history. In The Alchemist, the stone contains the power of wealth, long life and healing …show more content…
so much money and energy is invested in it, 2. it is seen as a savior, and 3. that many of the characters believe it will bring unending happiness, supports the idea that the philosopher's stone is the ultimate good being praised in The Alchemist. Jonson implicates satire throughout as well, specifically through the selfish and greedy desires of the characters. Great wealth, to this day, stands as a goal for many people. This standing goal is evident in The Alchemist. Cleverly, Face and Subtle use the philosopher's stone as an enticing lure to attract greedy people. The philosopher's stone has many features to it (all made up by Face and Subtle) and great wealth is one of them. Mammon seems to be the most affected by the stone and is extremely outward about his love for the stone. Mammon believes everything Face and Subtle tell him about the stone and boasts of the great wealth he will receive. "Ladies, who are most innocent, for them, those will I beg to make eunuchs of, and they shall fan me with ten ostrich tails" (The Alchemist, 2.2.66-68) and "Dishes agate set in gold, and studded with emeralds, sapphires, hyacinths, and rubies” (2.2.73-74) are only two of the many boasts from Mammon. …show more content…
“…For the restoring of the silenced saints”, Tribulation says, “which ne’er will be but by the philosophers’ stone” (3.1.38-39). The only reliance for the Anabaptist faith is the stone. Again Jonson’s satire is at play here. The Anabaptists believe that Jesus is their savior (at least they claim they do) and this reliance on the stone directly negates their beliefs. Mammon views the stone as a savior as well, believing that it will save him from pain, sickness and give him long life. Mammon describes the stone saying, “Restores his years, renew him like an eagle” (2.1.55) and “Cures all diseases coming from all causes” (2.1.64). This is another example of Mammon’s greed; this time it’s for long life. All the slender that Mammon believes to be valuable exist only with material value. Again Jonson’s satire points towards human greed for material