Free Sample Essays > European Literature
Volpone by Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson’s social satire, Volpone, begins with the main character, Volpone, an apparently wealthy gentleman without children, duping his so-called friends into thinking he is deathly ill and planning to name one of them his heir. With the aid of servant Mosca, Volpone receives many precious gifts from greedy individuals hoping to win his favor.
It is observed that the purpose of Volpone might be to teach lessons about greed. The topic is quite serious, although this a comedy, and there are many moments of humor in the play, especially when Volpone in feigning illness and lies disguised. This play is, in many ways, a play within a play. For example, Volpone and Mosca are actors playing roles, but they are also directors in leading the three fortune hunters. The characters in this play are not well defined, nor do they have any depth. Although, it can be assumed that Jonson categorized them as “types” of characters familiar to the reader. Most individuals can vision the dishonest lawyer, the old man married to the young beautiful girl, and the old miserable man who isn’t satisfied until he acquires even more sums of money.
Moreover, it is essential to reveal the character’s “types” and tendencies through the story. The main character, Volpone, is an old “magnifico” who is more interested in the game of acquiring money than he is in the real property of money. It may be assumed that Volpone has some integrity, in that he enjoys the performances he devises and the disguises that he assumes.
Although, he has three weaknesses that might make his ‘plots’ fail: the first is his lust for Celia, the second is his overconfident behavior, and the last is his complete trust in Mosca. Volpone’s malicious, but witty sidekick is Mosca. While his ego is overly inflated, it is easy to spot this individual who is practically in love with himself. The three fortune hunters, Corvino, Voltore, and Corbaccio all want Volpone’s estate, and will do anything in their power to acquire it. Corvino, a greedy, rich merchant, is punished in the end for offering up his wife, which results in her returning to her father, with her dowry tripled! Voltore is a dangerous lawyer who is ultimately disbarred and banished since he was behind Volpone’s plotting. Corbaccio is an old, deaf, greedy minister who goes as far as to testify against his own son! He is finally punished, sent to a monastery, and forced to turn his estate over to his son, Bonario.
Ultimately, Volpone is “a drama too complex in nature and unique in effect to be encompassed by the traditional categories.” The character Volpone, “the folk trickster”, in his most fully realized state, possesses the qualities of both the hunter and the hunted at once. He is the prowler and the scorner, the benefactor and the bandit. The essence of this character is unchanging, and such a character finds amusement in [next page]