HL 2002 Renaissance Literature Week 4: Ben Jonson’s Volpone

Volpone The Italian context. Volponecrafty fox; Moscafly Italy in the eyes of the English in Renaissance England. [Machiavelli; commerce, banking, money lenders; fashion]

Ben Jonson’s sense of comedy The purpose of comedy: to teach and to entertain Often perceived to be railing (see Epistle), and will sometimes have such characters written into his plays. Parody (through the exaggerations of stock figures; lawyers, bankers, knights, actors, etc.) Very critical of criticism from the audience; often has judgement scenes in his play where he attacks the unsophisticated and ignorant audience members (railing again!).

Volpone The value of money within the Protestant context; Thomas More’s Utopia (ca. 1516). Volpone’s views of his treasure (I.i. 21-29) Volpone’s household; the beastial qualities of the characters associated with qualities of animals in Aesop’s fables. Corruption or deformation of the characters set up the conditions in the household; the monstrous reflect the environment in which Volpone operates. Voltore vs. Corbaccio.

Volpone The “unnaturalness” of disinheritance. Exchange and transactions highlights greed. Corvino’s offer of a pearl, and then the promise of a diamond. The parade of characters that visit Volpone all lack “goodness”; questions of moral and ethics as the play seem to be made up of what some critics have called a “hierarchy” of immoral characters.

Volpone Sir Politic Would-Be The knight figure made foolish; how does his eccentricities parody the idea of the knight? His perception of news, his pre-occupation with spies and conspiracy and his conviction of his knowledge of facts. His reason for being in Venice? Compare Sir Politic and Volpone; “a distortion of Volpone” (Barish. “The Double Plot” 83-84)? Peregrine the stock figure in Jonson comedies that expose Politic’s flaws. Lady Would-Be and her relationship with Volpone.

Volpone Corvino and Celia (his jealousy and later his attempt to give Celia away). Representation of women in the play: Lady Politic Would- Be and Celia. Does Jonson “balance” gender representations here? Questioning honour (III.vii. 38). Corvino’s perverse logic and conscience (or lack of it).

Volpone The trial sounds officious but is in fact useless. The Avocatores’ does not express any explicit notion of their duty to uphold justice. The environment in the courtroom. Mosca’s plot and Volpone’s comeback (V.v. 11). Punishment at the end of the play; conscience, ethics questionable because of the form of the play?