Volpone

Ben Jonson

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1606

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Summary

Background

Act Summaries & Analyses

The Epistle-Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

Act V

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Gold

Gold represents two distinct but connected ideas in the play. Firstly, gold symbolizes wealth or things of great value. Volpone’s physical hoard of wealth signifies his high social status as a gentleman, and his suitors’ golden gifts signify their desire to attain this status. The characters also use gold imagery and metaphors to indicate all kinds of value. For example, Mosca evokes Celia’s remarkable beauty to Volpone by describing her as “Bright as your gold! And lovely as your gold!” (1.5.115). Mosca develops this connection further when he claims that Corvino locks Celia away “as warily as your gold” (1.5.119). Perceiving Celia’s value, Volpone—an avaricious man—determines he must steal her away from Corvino, who doesn’t appreciate her true worth. Mosca uses similar analogies to praise Voltore’s worthy speech in court, proclaiming he will “ha’ your tongue, sir, tipped in gold for this” (4.6.64).

However, gold also represents vice and helps to develop the theme of The Corrupting Power of Greed. Volpone’s descriptions of his gold contain nearly blasphemous metaphors, illustrating how far he has swayed from virtue and morality. Volpone calls his gold his “saint” (1.1.2) and “sacred treasure” (1.1.13). His claim that “Even hell, with thee to boot, / Is made worth heaven!” (1.1.24-25) exaggerates the corrupted virtues Volpone places in gold. For Christian audiences of the time, such worship of gold would appear idolatrous and profane. Mosca frequently uses the promise of gold to appease the suitors’ skepticism and fears about the success of the plots. Mosca knows “too much light blinds ’em” (5.2.23) to seeing the reality of Mosca and Volpone’s plots. The mere thought of attaining Volpone’s gold makes the suitors willing to do and believe anything to get it—even if it is immoral.

Disguise

Ben Jonson uses a disguise motif throughout the play to help develop the theme of The Moral Impact of Performance. Characters disguise themselves to gain the freedom to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t. Volpone’s disguises are primarily a means to his end goal of tricking the suitors into giving him gifts. He puts on a costume and ointments to appear on the verge of death, and he acts out various illnesses to complete the illusion. Volpone uses this disguise to extract sympathy from his suitors, as well as to keep the suitors’ hopes up that their sympathy will be rewarded with the inheritance. Volpone’s convincing sickly disguise helps secure his acquittal at court, as the Avvocati sympathize with the frail old man and the wrongs being inflicted upon him. Volpone also dresses up as a mountebank and a commendatore—disguises that allow him to leave his house undetected while keeping up his carefully crafted ruse of being an invalid.

Disguises also expose a person’s true character, which they may not be aware of themselves. Volpone’s sickly disguise, although exaggerated, reveals that he is closer to age-related illness than he wants to admit. Volpone feels pained after putting on his disguise for the court and fears his diseases are becoming real: “‘Fore God, my left leg ’gan to have the crap; And I apprehended, straight, some power had struck me / With a dead palsy” (5.1.5-7). Volpone’s mountebank disguise exposes his similar use of persuasive language to sell people sham products, like a fake inheritance. His commendatore disguise illuminates his belief that by humiliating the greedy suitors, he is giving them justice for their sins. Similarly, Mosca’s aristocrat disguise reveals his belief in his own superiority, and he thinks the costume reflects his rightful social standing. The play, however, exposes both of these final disguises as false constructions: Volpone is just as guilty as the suitors, and Mosca is just like the vagrants he degraded earlier in the play.

Animals and Fables

Allusions to animals are a motif Jonson uses to develop the audience’s understanding of characters and their motivations. Almost all the characters have names that translate to different animals that appear in fables and have understood archetypal qualities. “Volpone” translates to “big fox,” linking the character to the archetype of the clever fox found in many folktales and fables, including those of Reynard the Fox. Reynard’s tales typically involve deception, as Reynard uses cunning to outwit his opponents. Like Reynard, Volpone’s central action revolves around his scheming. Volpone refers to himself explicitly as the Fox to draw this connection, like when he calls himself “a fox, stretched on the earth, with fine delusive slights, mocking a gaping crow” (1.2.95-97). This alludes to the fable “The Fox and the Crow,” wherein the sly fox uses flatteries to trick the crow into dropping its food so the fox can eat it. It also connects to the common belief that foxes would play dead to draw in their prey.

“Mosca” translates to “fly,” which reflects the character’s role as a parasite who feeds off the scraps of others to survive. In fables, the fly boasts of its ability to move around without restriction, just as Mosca brags of his ability to “rise / And stoop” (3.1.24) to suit all scenarios. The main three suitors all have names with similarly opportunistic connotations. “Voltore” translates to “vulture,” while “Corbaccio” and “Corvino” are both words for “crow” or “raven.” Like their namesakes, the suitors are advantageous predators. Volpone refers to the men as his “birds of prey” (1.1.90) who circle around waiting for his death so they can feast on his fortune.

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“Peregrine” refers to a species of falcon commonly used in hunting, but it also means “traveler.” In fables, falcons and other birds of prey attack smaller animals to prove their superiority, which helps illuminate Peregrine’s interactions with Sir Politic. Peregrine likes to goad Sir Politic into showing the true absurdity hidden behind his constructed, self-important reputation. Like the falcons and hawks of fable, Peregrine traps Sir Politic and makes him admit that he has been fooled. Peregrine often calls Sir Politic “Sir Pol,” with “Pol” translating to “parrot.” The association with parrots and their stereotypical trait of mimicry elaborates on Sir Politic’s characterization as a showy jabberer.