The Alchemist

The Alchemist  – When Master Lovewit flees the city to escape the plague, his butler, Face (Jeremy), takes over the house. He forms a “venture tripartite” with Subtle, a fraudulent alchemist, and Dol Common, a prostitute. The schemes collapse when Master Lovewit returns unexpectedly. Subtle and Dol flee empty-handed, while Face manages to make peace with his master by helping him marry a rich widow (the sister of one of the victims). Lovewit keeps the “spoils” (the victims’ belongings), and the audience is left to laugh at the foolishness of those who tried to get rich through magic.