The Alchemist, The play by Ben Johnson
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The novel, The Alchemist by Ben Jonson, is a play that revolves around the main character Santiago, who is on a journey to discovering his Personal Legend. The personal Legend refers to a person’s destiny, which makes Santiago set out on a trip to fulfill his destiny. In the play, we encounter several characters who play a crucial role in encouraging and pushing Santiago to make his quest to achieve his fate come true. One of these characters is the alchemist, who makes it possible and more comfortable for Santiago to understand the world’s language. He also shows Santiago how alchemy works by heating lead and silver on a pan until the mixture became red, and when it dried, it was gold. Ben Jonson was an English playwright and a poet, whose artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy.
One of the most prominent themes that prevail throughout the novel is the pursuit of one’s Personal Legend. Personal Legend is another term for destiny. At the beginning of the play, Santiago encounters Melchizedek, who clearly explains to him that all people know their fate while in their youth. Still, in the long run, as they become old, they forget this destiny, as they are blinded and blocked by fear, anxiety, and otherworldly concerns. Santiago goes to a dream interpreter to have a dream that he had interpreted. After the interpreter tells him to go to the pyramids and find treasure, he does not believe him. But after encountering Melchizedek, the King of Salem, Santiago is convinced by the older man’s knowing ability about his personal life. He is persuaded to set out on a journey to Africa. In the play, Santiago abandons his life as a shepherd, which he loves, by giving six sheep to Melchizedek in exchange for Urim and Thummim and sells the rest of the flock to get money for his trip to Africa.
Another theme that is well brought out is the theme of fear. Fear is the greatest obstacle that hinders Santiago from realizing his Personal Legend throughout the novel. After Santiago obtains a horse, the alchemist prepares to move on with Santiago to the pyramids. Due to fear, Santiago complains that he does not want to leave Fatima, who he had fallen in love with, behind. He had the fear that he would lose her. Still, the alchemist assured Santiago that Fatima understood that he needed to complete his Personal Legend and that staying in Al- Fayoum would cause the omens of treasure to disappear. He would also lose his position as a counselor within the tribal chieftains, and the rest of his life would be full of regret. The fear of proceeding with the journey is removed by warning him, and Santiago rolls to travel through the desert.
The theme of love is also well illustrated in the novel. At the beginning of the story, we see that Santiago has a disturbing dream, and when he wakes up, he starts to talk to his flock of sheep about a girl he had met the previous year. This girl is the merchant’s daughter whom he goes to sell wool. When he meets with the girl, he finds her Moorish eyes and raven-colored hair very attractive, showing that he had fallen in love with her. As the story progresses, we see that Santiago meets another girl by Fatima’s name, who he falls in love with, and even makes him think of quitting his journey to fulfill his destiny because he felt that he would lose her if he left her in Al – Fayoum. As the story ends, Santiago starts to fantasize about Fatima, where he touches her kiss on his lips as the wind blows. He then declares that he will return to her soon. This situation is a clear indication that Santiago had fallen in love with Fatima.
The writer has used prologue in his play to foreshadow some events that were to occur in the play. An example of this is where the alchemist says that the book containing Narcissus’s story belonged to someone in the caravan. This style foreshadows the event where Santiago reads Narcissus’ boom in the fleet as they cruised through the desert towards the pyramids. The author also uses a significant amount of fiction to bring out the novel’s magical and mythic quality, thus making it unique. He also uses religious quotations like “maktub,” which means “it is written,” to create a close linkage between Santiago’s physical and spiritual nature in the quest to seek his destiny. Therefore, the writer uses a unique style of relating the mystical powers with religious beliefs and the representation of spiritual beliefs using physical symbols, such as Santiago riding on a horse until it stops and finding a cobra, to express the idea that life attracts life.
In conclusion, we see that the writer uses Santiago as the main character to bring out the play’s central theme, which is the pursuit of one’s Personal Legend. He displays the difficulties that Santiago encounters to fulfill his destiny, which was a hidden treasure full of gold. He also brings out fear as one obstacle that can hinder one from discovering his/her future. This play shows the reader that everyone has a promised destiny, and the road to finding it is full of challenges.
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