# The Alchemist — Character guide

> Key figures in The Alchemist by Ben Jonson.

- [Face](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/face.md): Face is the mastermind of the operation, the man who greets each mark at the door and tailors the illusion to fit their greed. He is caught between the thrill of the con and the constant risk that his partner Subtle will
- [Subtle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/subtle.md): Subtle commands the jargon and theatrical authority that make the con convincing, playing the reclusive scholar while Face handles the front door. His vanity and professional pride constantly threaten the partnership, si
- [Dol Common](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/dol_common.md): Dol is the third pillar of the scheme, deployed as bait, distraction, or exotic attraction depending on the mark. She chafes at being ordered around by Subtle and Face, and her scenes with Sir Epicure Mammon show a woman
- [Sir Epicure Mammon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/sir_epicure_mammon.md): Mammon arrives at the house convinced he is about to possess the philosopher's stone, and his fantasies of luxury pour out in some of the play's most extravagant poetry. He courts Dol Common with promises of diamonds and
- [Abel Drugger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/abel_drugger.md): Drugger is the most innocent visitor to the house, a small tradesman whose modest ambitions make him easy prey for Subtle's fabricated horoscopes and mystical prescriptions. He genuinely believes in the alchemists' power
- [Ananias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/ananias.md): Ananias represents the Puritan brethren who have invested in Subtle's scheme, and he bristles at the doctor's profane language while eagerly pursuing the profits. His catchphrase refusals — balking at 'Christmas' as 'Chr
- [Kastril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/kastril.md): Kastril arrives at Lovewit's house eager to purchase lessons in swearing, gaming, and the fashionable violence of a London gallant, dragging his sister Dame Pliant along as a bargaining chip. His bluster is comic and dan
- [Dame Pliant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/dame_pliant.md): Dame Pliant is a rich widow newly arrived in London under her brother Kastril's heavy-handed protection, and her inheritance makes her the target of suitors ranging from Face to a fabricated Spanish count. She is docile 
- [Pertinax Surly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/pertinax_surly.md): Surly moves through the play as the resident skeptic, needling Sir Epicure Mammon's raptures about the philosopher's stone with dry asides about waterworks and Pict-hatch vestals. He refuses to be gulled, declaring 'your
- [Dapper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/dapper.md): Dapper comes to Subtle's chamber hoping to improve his fortune, and his vanity and gambling habit make him easy prey for the fairy-queen ruse. Blindfolded, kneeling, and addressed as 'nephew' by Dol in her fairy regalia,
- [Lovewit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/lovewit.md): Lovewit has been away from London during the plague, trusting his servant Face to keep the house, and his unexpected homecoming in the final movement throws the con men's world into chaos. He is less outraged than amused
- [Don Diego](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters/don_diego.md): A Spanish gentleman who becomes involved in the schemes.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_alchemist_se/characters