The Alchemist

First performed in 1610 by the King's Men (the acting company to which William Shakespeare belonged for most of his career), The Alchemist opens with a violent argument between two conmen, Subtle and Face. They are running a brothel and defrauding people out of money by claiming to be alchemists and furthermore, that they can bring riches to the clients by magic means. The play's vivid depiction of human folly has made sure it is one of the few Renaissance plays that was still being performed as recently as 2016.