Volpone 17
Volpone 17
Volpone 17
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3
1. Ben Jonson (1572-1637) ...................................................................................................... 4
2. Plays...................................................................................................................................... 5
3. Volpone................................................................................................................................. 6
3.1. General information.................................................................................................... 6
3.2. Context ......................................................................................................................... 6
3.3. Volpone’s argument .................................................................................................... 9
3.4. Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.5. The characters. .......................................................................................................... 10
3.5.1. Volpone................................................................................................................. 10
3.5.2. Mosca .................................................................................................................. 11
3.5.3. Corvino ............................................................................................................... 12
3.5.4. Bonario ............................................................................................................... 12
3.5.5. Celia .................................................................................................................... 12
3.5.6. Sir Politic Would-Be : ...................................................................................... 13
3.5.7. Lady Politic Would-Be : ................................................................................... 13
3.5.8. Peregrine: ........................................................................................................... 13
3.5.9. Nano : ................................................................................................................. 13
3.5.10. Castrone: ............................................................................................................ 13
3.5.11. Androgyno: ........................................................................................................ 14
3.6. Themes ....................................................................................................................... 14
3.6.1. Greed .................................................................................................................. 14
3.6.2. The Power of Stagecraft ................................................................................... 14
3.6.3. Parasitism........................................................................................................... 15
3.7. Symbols ...................................................................................................................... 15
3.7.1. Venice ................................................................................................................. 15
3.7.2. Animalia ............................................................................................................. 16
3.7.3. The Sacred and the Profane ............................................................................. 16
3.7.4. Disguise, Deception, and Truth ........................................................................ 17
3.7.5. "Gulling"............................................................................................................ 17
CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 18
Introduction
Volpone is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–
1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed
and lust, it remains
When Ben Jonson wrote Volpone (c. 1605–06) he broke new ground in the English
theatre. He produced an innovative kind of high-energy, intensely theatrical comedy
which sustained both high moral seriousness and exuberant hilarity. Following the
Roman writers he admired so much, Jonson set out to make his audience think about the
troublingly subversive but exhilarating power of money and what it does to those who are
consumed by greed for it, but also to give them a very good time in the theatre.
Volpone combines its moral into a very funny, entertaining play. Jonson promises the
audience that it will ‘rub your cheeks, til red with laughter’ (Prologue). The action is fast-
paced, non-stop and demands our attention, and Jonson boldly breaks rules and generic
conventions along the way.Jonson's most-performed play, and it is ranked among the
finest Jacobean era comed
1. Ben Jonson (1572-1637)
3.1.General information
3.2.Context
Ironically, although "William Shakespeare" is by far the better-known
name today, we know a great deal more about the life of his fellow Elizabethan
dramatist Ben Jonson. Our knowledge of his personal life comes mainly from
personal conversations conducted between the playwright and William
Drummond, the Laird of Hawthornden, in 1619, which Drummond later wrote
down. But it also reflects the fact that whereas Shakespeare chose solely to express
himself through his plays and poems, Jonson was more of a public figure, prone
to dramatic commentary on literature and philosophy, highly personalized poems
(as opposed to the mystery of Shakespeare's sonnet cycle), as well as heavy
involvement in the royal entertainments of both King James I and Charles I. In his
lifetime, he was more honored than Shakespeare and served as an advisor to young
poets until the time of his death on August 16, 1637, at the age of sixty- five.
Despite this popularity, the facts surrounding Jonson's birth remain, for the most
part, obscure. Based on evidence gathered later in his life, historians believe his
birth date to be June 11, 1572, a month after his biological father's death. His
birthplace and the names of his parents remain unknown. What is known is that
he grew up in the village of Charing Cross, which was then a mile outside the
walled City of London. Charing was home both to the townhouses of courtiers
(nobles who attended at the court of Queen Elizabeth) as well as masses of the
urban poor, living in close proximity. Though Jonson's family was by no means
wealthy, it also was not extremely poor, since the man usually identified as
Jonson's stepfather, Robert Brett, was a moderately prosperous bricklayer. As
David Riggs notes, Jonson was "surrounded by extremes of poverty and wealth
from the earliest years of his life."
A "friend," whose name is lost to history, paid for Jonson to attend Westminster
school, one of the elite schools of Elizabethan England, where Elizabeth herself
attended the school's Christmas play regularly. Attending the school greatly
widened Jonson's social and intellectual horizons, as it was the place where
England's future ruling classes were trained. Its students were either on
scholarship for academic ability, or they were sons of the nobility. As a result,
Jonson friends in later life would include many lawyers and a good share of
nobility. At the age of sixteen, he was forced to leave the school and tried his hand
at soldiering—he joined the English forces camped in the Netherlands—before
becoming apprenticed to a bricklayer in London.
The apprenticeship was terminated when Jonson decided to marry Anne Lewis.
In an era where marriage meant the termination of an apprenticeship and was
expected of men only when they had achieved some sort of economic
independence, this was an extremely rash move. But it may very well be related
to another decision Jonson made in the mid 1590s, which was a decision to devote
his life to the theater. Jonson became known as an hilariously bad actor, as well
as a violent ruffian who once killed a fellow actor without provocation, and it was
only when he tried his hand at writing plays instead of performing in them that he
began to have success.
The profession of playwriting hadn't existed at the time of Jonson's birth. It was a
product of a change in the activity of acting companies; whereas companies had
previously toured, beginning in the 1570s and 1580s they began to station
themselves in the ever-growing city of London, fast becoming the most important
city in Great Britain. Since the audience would now consist of repeat customers,
a great demand for new plays was created. As the theatre grew into an ever more
profitable industry, thanks to more and more Londoners' demands for more and
more entertainment, one began to be able support oneself by writing plays, and
playwriting became a profession (though one without a name; "playwright" wasn't
used officially until 1682, and Jonson actually used the term as one of abuse).
Jonson, with a string of popular plays such as Every Man in His Humour (and
some unpopular ones, such as Every Man out of His Humour) gradually began to
make a name for himself, establishing a reputation as a witty, intellectual
playwright, who was less romantic and more cerebral than Shakespeare (by now
a personal friend of Jonson's). He became famous and well respected even though
he had converted to Catholicism during his first time in jail (being a Catholic in
Protestant England at the time was a very unpopular thing). But in 1605, he was
arrested for co-writing a play titled Eastward Ho,which the censors interpreted
(probably correctly) as a derogatory statement on the newly crowned King James.
That year, he had also separated from his wife.
Volpone was written at the end of this extremely trying period, in the early months
of 1606. It was one of Jonson's biggest hits, and it firmly re- established him as an
important literary figure. Around the same time, he re- united with his wife. With
this wealth of personal and situational information about Jonson's life, many
scholars have made attempts to interpret the writing of Volpone as a psychological
way of resolving a fundamental conflict that we know existed within him. This
conflict was between Jonson's violent past and his fairly conservative view of life
and art, which was grounded in his classical education at Westminster. He
idealized the countryside in such poems as To Penshurst and saw much of the city
life around him as grasping, brutish, and nasty. He viewed his art as being a sort
of moral corrective to this "publicke riot." But, as was seen in 1606, he still had
some fairly rough character traits, which were inappopriate for the voice of
classical moderation and reason. So, according to critics such as
Riggs, Volponeserves as the repudiation of what Volpone the character
symbolizes: Jonson's rambunctious, reckless side, which had nearly cost him his
marriage, livelihood, and respectability. This interpretation does not tell us
everything about Volpone, but it may help us understand Jonson's seeming delight
in portraying his quick-witted, tricky types, which may have been characters he
identified with on an emotional level. But intellectually, he identified with Celia
and her value system. The conflict between the two value systems—one full of
desire and greed and another based on Christian morality and reason—is central
to Volpone and seems to have been a conflict with which Jonson dealt personally.
3.3.Volpone’s argument
The play is dedicated to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, both of which
had recently awarded Jonson honorary doctorates at the time of the play's writing.
He briefly discusses the moral intentions of the play and its debt to classical drama.
In the Argument, Jonson provides a brief summary of the play's plot in the form
of an acrostic on Volpone's name. The prologue then introduces the play to the
viewing audience, informing them that "with a little luck," it will be a hit; Jonson
ends by promising that the audience's cheeks will turn red from laughter after
viewing his work.
3.4.Analysis
These opening parts of the play, before we are introduced to the action, may seem
superfluous. But they help us understand the play in several ways. First, in the
banal sense; the Argument, as Jonson terms it, provides in brief encapsulated form
the premise of the play, a premise that will be fully introduced in the first scene.
The Dedication, however, gives us a clue as to Jonson's intentions in
writing Volpone.First of all, he is intent on writing a "moral" play. By taking to
task those "poetasters" (his derogatory term for an inferior playwright) who have
disgraced the theatrical profession with their immoral work, Jonson highlights the
moral intentions of his play. His play will make a moral statement. And it will do
so in line with the traditions of drama followed by classical dramatists, that is, the
dramatists of ancient Greece. This connection to the past further indicates that the
play we are about to read (or see) is a work of serious intellectual and moral
weight.
But, in the Prologue, we see a different side of Jonson. This side of Jonson is
boastful—this play was written in five weeks, says Jonson, all the jokes are mine,
I think it's going to be a huge hit, and you are all going to laugh hysterically until
your cheeks turn red. The Prologue sets a boisterous tone that the rest of the play
will follow. So in these opening passages, Jonson begins to mix a serious
intellectual and moral message with a boisterous, light- hearted and entertaining
tone, reinforcing the explicit promise he makes in the Prologe "to mix profit with
your pleasure." In other words, says Jonson, Volpone will be a work that will
educate you but also entertain you at the same time.
3.5.The characters.
3.5.1. Volpone
Volpone is the protagonist of the play. His name means "The Fox" in Italian.
Jonson usedhim as an instrument of satire of money-obsessed society, and he
seems to share inJonson's satiric interpretation of the events. He is lustful,
raffish, and greedy for pleasure. He is a creature of passion, continually
looking to find and attain new forms of pleasure, whatever the consequences
may be. He is also energetic and has an unusual gift for rhetoric. He worships
his money, all of which he has acquired through cons, such as theone he plays
on Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino. Volpone has no children, but he
hassomething of a family: his parasite, Mosca, his dwarf, Nano, his eunuch,
Castrone, andhis hermaphrodite, Androgyno. Mosca is his only true
confidante. Volpone hates to makemoney through honest labour or cold, he
loves making it in clever, deceitful ways. Thisdynamic in his character shapes
our reaction to him throughout the play. At times, thishedonism seems fun,
engaging, entertaining, and even morally valuable, such as when heis engaged
in the con on his fortune hunters. But his attempted seduction of Celia revealsa
darker side to his hedonism when it becomes an attempted rape. The incident
makeshim, in the moral universe of the play, a worthy target of satire. Through
the play, welearn that he is the one who makes the satire but the satire
eventually turns back on him, when he becomes a victim of Mosca's "Fox-
trap." The reason he is ensnared by Mosca isthat he cannot resist one final
gloat at his dupes, oblivious to the fact that in doing so, hehands over his entire
estate to Mosca.
This lack of rational forethought and commitment
to his own sensual impulses is characteristic of Volpone.
Therefore, he has threeweaknesses that might make his ‘plots’ fail: the first is
his lust for Celia, the second is hisoverconfident behavior, and the last is his
complete trust in Mosca.
3.5.2. Mosca
Mosca is Volpone's parasite, a combination of his slave, his servant and his
lackey. He isthe person who continually executes Volpone's ideas and the one
who comes up with thenecessary lie whenever needed. In the opening acts,
Mosca appears to be exactly what heis described as: a clinging, servile
parasite, who only exists for Volpone and throughVolpone. In other words,
he exists to serve Volpone, and all that Volpone wants he wants. But in Act
Three, we have the beginning of his assertion of self-identity, when he
beginsto grow confident in his abilities. But then this confidence again is left
unvoiced, andMosca seems to go back to being Volpone's faithful servant,
helping him get out of thetroublesome situation with Bonario and Celia.
Mosca himself is possessed by greed, andhe attempts to move out of his
role as parasite to the role of great beast himself. But hisattempt fails, as
Volpone exposes them both. Though initially (and for most of the play)
he behaves in a servile manner towards Volpone, Mosca conceals a growingi
ndependence he gains as a result of the incredible resourcefulness he shows in
aiding andabetting Volpone's confidence game. Mosca's growing confidence,
and awareness that the die before Volpone even has a chance to bequeath
himhis wealth. He has a hearing problem and betrays no sign of concern for
Volpone, delighting openly in (fake) reports of Volpone's worsening
symptoms. He goes as far as totestify against his own son. He is finally
punished, sent to a monastery, and forced to turnhis estate over to his son,
Bonario.
3.5.3. Corvino
A greedy, rich merchant and an extremely cruel and dishonorable character,
Corvino isCelia's jealous husband. He frequently threatens to do disgusting
acts of physical violenceto her and her family in order to gain control
over her. Yet he is more concerned withfinancial gain than with her
faithfulness, seeing her, in essence, as a piece of property. Corvino
is another one of the "carrion-birds" circling Volpone. Corvino is punished in
theend for offering up his wife, which results in her returning to her father,
with her dowrytripled. Corviono is the third of the "carrion-birds" circling
Volpone.
3.5.4. Bonario
The son of Corbaccio. Bonario is an upright youth who remains loyal to his
father evenwhen his father perjures against him in court.
His honesty and his desire to do right makehim one of the more righteous
characters in the play. He heroically rescues Celia fromVolpone and
represents bravery and honor, qualities which the other characters seem to
lack. However, perhaps because he believes so strongly in good, he is too
trusting of others and is exploited as a result.
3.5.5. Celia
Celia is the wife of Corvino, who is extremely beautiful, enough to drive both
Volponeand Corvino to distraction. She is absolutely committed to her
husband, even though hetreats her horribly, and has a faith in God and sense
of honor, qualities which seem to belacking in both Corvino and Volpone.
These qualities guide her toward self-control. She’salso known by her self-
denial. This makes her a perfect foil for Volpone, since her self-control
exposes his complete lack thereof, no more clearly than in Volpone's
attemptedseduction of her. The turning point of the play comes when she says
"no" to Volpone'sadvances, thus denying him the lecherous pleasures he
describes in his seduction speech. Celia seems willing to do anything to avoid
dishonor, too ready to sacrifice herself to be believable. Her willingness to
subject herself to Corvino's harsh dictates and abuse maymake her seem more
weak than strong. But she has an inner moral sense, indicated by thefact that
she refuses Volpone against her husband's express wishes. Jonson again
choosesa name with symbolic meaning for Celia: it derives from the Latin
word caelum, meaning"sky" or "heaven"
3.5.10. Castrone:
The only notable fact about Castrone is that his name means eunuch
("castrone" means "eunuch" in Italian). There is not much else to say about
Castrone, as he has no speaking lines whatsoever.
3.5.11. Androgyno:
"Androgyno" means "hermaphrodite" in Italian, and as in the case of Nano and
Castrone, the name rings true. Androgyno apparently possesses the soul of
Pythagoras, according to Nano, which has been in gradual decline ever since
it left the ancient mathematician's body.
3.6.Themes
3.6.1. Greed
3.7. Symbols
3.7.1. Venice
As the seat of greed, corruption, and decadence, at least according to the
prevailing prejudices, Venice was the beneficiary of years of stereotype in
English drama. Italians in general were seen as sensuous, decadent beings,
thanks to their extremely sophisticated culture, history of Machiavellian
politicians (Lorenzo de Medici, Cesare Borgia, Machiavelli himself) and
beautiful (and often erotic) love poetry. Though not things considered
particularly awful today, this type of decadence made English people wary
of being infected with immorality, and Venetians were seen as the worst
of the bunch. The direct influence of the "power of Venice" to corrupt can
best be seen in the Sir Politic Would-be subplot, where the English knight
Sir Politic "goes Venetian" and becomes a lying would-be thief. But the
Venetian setting probably made the story more believable for most English
audiences, signifying the fascination of the play with disguise and deceit,
though also, perhaps against Jonson's intentions, distancing them from the
play's moral message, by placing the greed in a historic far away place
traditionally associated with greed, instead of right in the heart of London.
3.7.2. Animalia
There is a "fable" running throughout the play, through the associations
the characters' names create with animals. It is very simple and tells the
tale of a cunning "Fox" (Volponein Italian), circled by a mischievous "Fly"
( Mosca in Italian), who helps the Fox trick several carrion-birds—a
vulture (Voltore), a crow (Corvino) and a raven (Corbaccio) into losing
their feathers (their wealth). The animal imagery emphasizes the theme of
"parasitism" in the play, where one life form feeds off of another. And it
should also be remembered that fables are tales with simple moral
messages, told for a didactic purpose. Though much more
complex, Volpone, at its heart shares the same purpose, making the use of
"fable-like" symbolism appropriate and helpful in understanding the
meaning of the play.