English Literature / Unit 8 ENL 0707 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Alchemist and the Comedy of Humours
Captions available
The idea
Jonson's comedy of humours, beginning with Every Man in His Humour, builds characters around a single dominating trait or obsession. The Alchemist, of sixteen ten, which the anchor prints, shows con artists exploiting greed while their master is away from London.
In practice
Characters ruled by one obsession.
Where people slip
The humours come from old medicine.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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