ABSTRACT
Jonson's climactic use of the 'comical satire' formula in The Alchemist was an unclouded triumph. It enabled him to work out both a dramatic experience and a relationship with the audience that proved to be agreeable to all. Never again was Jonson able to be as relaxed as he was in the composition of this piece. And with its completion, his restless search for artistic status and supremacy began again in disregard of his comic achievements to date.
