Feeding the Stage
In the Prologue to the play, an announcer informs audiences that the setting will be London, because "No clime breeds better matter for your whore, / Bawd, square, imposter, many persons more, / Whose manners, now call'd humours, feed the stage" (Prologue). This assertion uses the metaphor of London as "food" for the stage, suggesting that the city's inhabitants are entertaining enough to warrant a play about them.
Subtle's Past
Face and Subtle have a number of arguments throughout The Alchemist, and their disputes begin in the very first scene of the play. Face tells Subtle that he effectively "saved" him from a life of misery by offering him a house to practice in. He says, "But I shall put you in mind, sir;—at Pie-corner, / Taking your meal of steam in, from cooks' stalls, / Where, like the father of hunger, you did walk Piteously costive" (1.1). In this quotation, Face uses a simile to compare Subtle to the "father of hunger," emphasizing how poor and destitute he was before Face extended his courtesy.
Surly's Skepticism
When Surly expresses his doubt over the efficacy of alchemy, he says, "Alchemy is a pretty kind of game, / Somewhat like tricks o' the cards, to cheat a man / With charming" (2.3). Here, Surly uses a simile to compare alchemy to card tricks which "charm" the viewer into thinking they have seen real magic.
Dapper's Fortune
Dapper easily buys into Subtle's farce as an alchemist, mostly because Subtle is able to read his victims well and understand what motivates them. About Dapper's alchemical future with gambling, Subtle says he will "blow up gamester after gamester, / As they do crackers in a puppet-play" (1.2). Here, Subtle uses a simile to compare Dapper's many winnings to numerous props one would see in a puppet show.
Mammon's Transformation
When Mammon visits the Alchemist, he expects that he will be easily transformed with the help of the Philosopher's Stone. Mammon imagines that he will be living in complete luxury, saying, "I'll have of perfume, vapour'd 'bout the room, / To lose ourselves in; and my baths, like pits / To fall into; from whence we will come forth, / And roll us dry in gossamer and roses" (2.2). In this quotation, Mammon uses a simile to compare the size of his imaginary baths to pits, emphasizing how deep and luxurious they will be.
