Volpone by Ben Jonson – Complete Study Material
📚 Volpone by Ben Jonson – Complete Study Material
Volpone; or, The Fox is one of the most important comedies of Ben Jonson, first performed around 1606 and published in 1607. It is a powerful satirical comedy that exposes greed, deception, corruption and the excessive desire for wealth. (GradeSaver)
Note for your blog: The 1607 title-page image above is from Wikimedia Commons and is a digitization of an early edition. It is a public-domain historical image; you can use the Commons file according to its stated licensing information.
1. About the Author – Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson (1572–1637) was one of the major dramatists of the English Renaissance and the Jacobean period. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and is particularly famous for his comedies of satire.
His important works include:
Volpone
The Alchemist
Bartholomew Fair
Every Man in His Humour
Every Man Out of His Humour
Jonson was strongly influenced by classical Greek and Roman literature. His dramatic works often criticize human weaknesses and social corruption.
His comedy is different from romantic comedy. Instead of focusing mainly on love and romance, Jonson frequently presents characters controlled by particular weaknesses such as greed, jealousy, hypocrisy and ambition.
2. Title: Volpone; or, The Fox
The title itself gives us an important clue.
Volpone is an Italian word meaning “fox.”
The characters in the play are associated with animals. Their names reveal their personalities and behaviour.
| Character | Animal association | Meaning/quality |
|---|---|---|
| Volpone | Fox | Cleverness and deception |
| Mosca | Fly | Parasite and manipulator |
| Voltore | Vulture | Greed and opportunism |
| Corbaccio | Raven/Carrion bird | Miserliness and greed |
| Corvino | Crow | Jealousy and greed |
Jonson therefore creates the structure of an animal fable to expose the animal-like greed of human beings. (GradeSaver)
3. Genre
Volpone can be described as:
Satirical comedy
Comedy of humours
Jacobean comedy
Social comedy
Animal fable
Comedy of intrigue
The play combines humour and moral criticism. The audience laughs at the foolishness and greed of the characters while also recognizing the serious social criticism behind the comedy.
4. Setting
The play is set mainly in Venice, Italy.
Venice provides an appropriate background for the action because Jonson presents it as a world of:
Wealth
Luxury
Commerce
Deception
Pleasure
Social corruption
Venice becomes almost a symbolic representation of a society where material wealth has become more important than morality. (GradeSaver)
5. Main Characters
Volpone
Volpone is the central character.
He is:
Extremely wealthy
Childless
Intelligent
Scheming
Pleasure-loving
Greedy
Deceptive
Although Volpone already possesses enormous wealth, he enjoys watching other people fight for his fortune.
He pretends to be seriously ill and near death. This attracts legacy hunters who hope to become his heirs.
His name means fox, representing his cunning nature.
Mosca
Mosca is Volpone's servant and parasite.
His name means fly.
Mosca is:
Extremely clever
Manipulative
Flattering
Ambitious
Deceptive
He understands the weaknesses of other characters and uses them for his own advantage.
At first, Mosca serves Volpone. But gradually he develops his own ambition. Eventually, he wants to possess Volpone's wealth himself.
Thus, the relationship between Volpone and Mosca changes from master and servant into a struggle between two deceivers.
Voltore
Voltore is a lawyer.
His name means vulture.
He is attracted to Volpone's wealth and hopes to inherit it.
His professional knowledge makes him particularly dangerous because he uses language and legal arguments to deceive the court.
Corbaccio
Corbaccio is an old miser.
He is so obsessed with wealth that he is willing to sacrifice his own son, Bonario, for the possibility of inheriting Volpone's fortune.
He represents extreme greed and selfishness.
Corvino
Corvino is a wealthy merchant.
He is extremely jealous of his wife Celia.
Ironically, his greed becomes stronger than his jealousy. He eventually allows Celia to be taken to Volpone because he believes this may help him inherit Volpone's wealth.
This is one of the strongest examples of how greed destroys normal human morality.
Celia
Celia is Corvino's wife.
She represents:
Beauty
Purity
Honesty
Moral goodness
Unlike the greedy characters, Celia does not participate in the corruption surrounding her.
She becomes a victim of the greed and lust of others.
Bonario
Bonario is Corbaccio's son.
He represents:
Honesty
Loyalty
Justice
Moral integrity
He attempts to protect Celia and exposes the wrongdoing of the corrupt characters.
Sir Politic Would-Be
Sir Politic Would-Be is an English traveller living in Venice.
He is foolish, talkative and obsessed with politics.
His subplot provides comic relief and also satirizes foolish political speculation.
Lady Would-Be
Lady Would-Be is Sir Politic's wife.
She is:
Talkative
Self-important
Curious
Pretentious
Her character provides another source of comedy and social satire.
Peregrine
Peregrine is a young English traveller.
He is more intelligent than Sir Politic and eventually plays a trick on him.
The subplot involving Peregrine and Sir Politic contributes to the comic structure of the play.
6. Story / Plot Summary
Act I – The Beginning of the Trick
The play begins with Volpone admiring his enormous wealth.
He has no children and no immediate heir.
Instead of simply enjoying his money, Volpone enjoys the spectacle of people competing for it.
With the help of Mosca, he pretends to be seriously ill and close to death.
Various greedy men visit him and bring expensive gifts because each hopes to become his heir.
Voltore brings an expensive gift.
Corbaccio brings money.
Corvino also tries to gain Volpone's favour.
Mosca cleverly tells each man that he may inherit Volpone's fortune.
Thus, the central deception begins. (GradeSaver)
7. Act II – The Greed Increases
Volpone enjoys fooling the legacy hunters.
He eventually disguises himself as Scoto of Mantua, a mountebank or travelling quack doctor.
While pretending to be healthy, Volpone enjoys the freedom of moving outside his house.
Meanwhile, the legacy hunters continue to compete for his fortune.
Their greed becomes increasingly ridiculous.
8. Act III – Mosca's Power
Mosca becomes increasingly important.
He manipulates everyone around him.
He understands that the legacy hunters are themselves greedy parasites.
He uses their greed to control them.
The play therefore becomes a complicated network of:
Greed → Deception → Manipulation → More Greed
Mosca begins to believe that he is clever enough to control even Volpone.
9. Act IV – The Crisis
Volpone becomes attracted to Celia, Corvino's wife.
Corvino's greed is so extreme that he is willing to sacrifice his wife's honour in the hope of receiving Volpone's inheritance.
Celia is taken to Volpone.
Volpone attempts to seduce her.
Celia refuses.
Bonario arrives and rescues Celia.
The situation becomes complicated because the villains attempt to make Celia and Bonario appear guilty.
The innocent characters are temporarily placed in danger because of the lies of the corrupt characters.
This is an important example of appearance versus reality.
10. Act V – Exposure and Punishment
The final act brings the various deceptions to an end.
Mosca begins to see himself as the possible owner of Volpone's fortune.
Volpone discovers that Mosca is trying to take control.
The relationship between the two tricksters collapses.
Eventually, Volpone reveals the truth.
The court discovers the deception, and the guilty characters receive punishment.
The ending establishes a principle of poetic justice: those who have lived through deception and greed finally suffer because of their own actions. (GradeSaver)
11. Major Themes
A. Greed
Greed is the central theme of the play.
Almost every major character is motivated by money.
Volpone already possesses wealth, but he wants the pleasure of manipulating people.
Voltore, Corbaccio and Corvino all want his inheritance.
Their greed makes them behave irrationally.
The play suggests:
When wealth becomes the highest value, morality disappears.
Greed ultimately destroys both Volpone and Mosca. (GradeSaver)
B. Deception
Deception controls almost every important event in the play.
Examples include:
Volpone pretends to be dying.
Mosca deceives the legacy hunters.
The legacy hunters deceive one another.
Volpone disguises himself.
False accusations are made against Celia and Bonario.
Mosca eventually deceives Volpone.
Jonson shows that a society built on lies eventually destroys itself. (GradeSaver)
C. Appearance vs Reality
One of the most important ideas in Volpone is the difference between what appears to be true and what is actually true.
Volpone appears to be dying, but he is healthy.
Mosca appears to be a loyal servant, but he has his own ambitions.
The legacy hunters appear to be respectful friends, but they are actually waiting for Volpone to die.
Celia appears to be guilty to the court, but she is innocent.
This constant contrast creates much of the play's dramatic irony. (BookRags)
12. Money and Materialism
Money is almost treated as a religion in Volpone.
Volpone worships gold.
The characters measure human relationships according to financial advantage.
The play therefore criticizes a society in which:
Money > Morality
The desire for wealth makes people sacrifice:
Friendship
Family
Honour
Love
Justice
13. Animal Imagery
Animal imagery is one of Jonson's most interesting techniques.
The characters behave like the animals associated with their names.
Volpone – Fox
Represents:
Cunning
Intelligence
Trickery
Mosca – Fly
Represents:
Parasitism
Opportunism
Manipulation
Voltore – Vulture
Represents:
Greed
Waiting for another person's death
Corbaccio – Raven
Represents:
Carrion-eating
Greed
Death
Corvino – Crow
Represents:
Opportunism
Possessiveness
The animal names turn the play into a kind of human animal fable. (GradeSaver)
14. Parasitism
Mosca is literally called a parasite.
But Jonson makes an important point: Mosca is not the only parasite.
Volpone feeds upon the greed of the legacy hunters.
The legacy hunters feed upon the possibility of Volpone's death.
Mosca feeds upon Volpone and the legacy hunters.
Thus, almost everyone is trying to benefit from someone else.
The play presents society as a struggle between different kinds of parasites. (GradeSaver)
15. Satire
Satire is the most important dramatic technique in Volpone.
Jonson uses humour to expose human weaknesses.
He satirizes:
Greedy people
Corrupt lawyers
False friendship
Marriage
Social ambition
Political foolishness
Materialism
Hypocrisy
The audience laughs at the characters but is also encouraged to recognize similar weaknesses in society.
16. Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not know.
For example:
The audience knows that Volpone is healthy, while the legacy hunters believe that he is dying.
This makes their behaviour humorous.
The audience understands the deception while the victims remain unaware.
Therefore, dramatic irony creates both comedy and criticism.
17. Gold as a Symbol
Gold is more than simple wealth.
It symbolizes:
Greed
Power
Corruption
Desire
Moral decay
Volpone's relationship with gold shows that wealth has become almost an object of worship.
Gold attracts people but ultimately destroys them. (GradeSaver)
18. Venice as a Symbol
Venice represents a world of:
Luxury
Commerce
Pleasure
Wealth
Corruption
The city provides the perfect setting for Jonson's satire of materialistic society.
19. Comedy in Volpone
Although the subject is serious, Jonson makes the play highly comic.
Comedy comes from:
Disguises
Lies
Exaggerated characters
Foolish behaviour
Wordplay
Situational irony
Sir Politic's foolishness
Lady Would-Be's talkativeness
Volpone's fake illness
Thus, laughter becomes a way of exposing social and moral problems.
20. Poetic Justice
The play follows the principle that wrongdoing eventually receives punishment.
The greedy characters do not achieve what they desire.
Volpone loses his freedom.
Mosca loses his position.
The legacy hunters are punished or disgraced.
Celia and Bonario, who represent innocence, are ultimately vindicated.
This creates a strong moral conclusion.
21. Important Literary Devices
1. Satire
Used to criticize greed and corruption.
2. Irony
Characters often receive consequences opposite to what they expect.
3. Dramatic irony
The audience knows the truth while characters remain deceived.
4. Allegory
The animal names and behaviours create an animal-fable structure.
5. Disguise
Volpone's disguise helps him escape his supposed sick-bed identity.
6. Symbolism
Gold, animals and disease carry deeper meanings.
7. Hyperbole
Characters' greed and foolishness are deliberately exaggerated.
8. Farce
Some situations are deliberately ridiculous and exaggerated for comic effect.
22. Important Relationships
Volpone and Mosca
Master – servant → partners in crime → rivals
Volpone and Celia
Predator → victim
Corbaccio and Bonario
Greedy father → morally upright son
Corvino and Celia
Jealous husband → innocent wife
Mosca and the Legacy Hunters
Manipulator → manipulated victims
These relationships help reveal the moral structure of the play.
23. Central Message
The central lesson of Volpone can be expressed simply:
Excessive greed destroys human morality.
Jonson shows that when people become obsessed with money, they can lose:
Reason
Love
Loyalty
Honour
Family values
Human dignity
The play is therefore not merely a comedy about a clever fox. It is a satire on a society controlled by greed and deception.
24. Important Exam Questions
Short-answer questions
Who is Volpone?
What does the name Volpone mean?
Who is Mosca?
What does Mosca symbolize?
Who is Celia?
Who is Bonario?
Who is Corvino?
What is the significance of gold?
Why does Volpone pretend to be sick?
What is the role of animal imagery?
What is dramatic irony?
Why is Volpone called a satire?
What is the significance of Venice?
Who are the legacy hunters?
What is poetic justice?
25. Essay Questions
1. Discuss Volpone as a satire on greed.
2. Examine the character of Volpone.
3. Discuss Mosca as a parasite and manipulator.
4. Explain the significance of animal imagery in Volpone.
5. Discuss the theme of appearance versus reality.
6. Examine Jonson's use of comedy for moral instruction.
7. Discuss Volpone as a comedy of greed and deception.
8. Explain the significance of gold in the play.
9. Discuss the role of Celia and Bonario as representatives of innocence.
10. Examine Volpone as a Jacobean satire.
26. Quick Revision Notes
Author: Ben Jonson
Period: Jacobean Age
First performed: c. 1606
Published: 1607
Genre: Satirical comedy
Setting: Venice
Meaning of Volpone: Fox
Meaning of Mosca: Fly
Central theme: Greed
Major technique: Satire
Major symbol: Gold
Important device: Animal imagery
Moral principle: Poetic justice
Main conflict: Greed vs morality
Important characters: Volpone, Mosca, Voltore, Corbaccio, Corvino, Celia, Bonario
Historical and educational sources agree that the play was first performed around 1606 and published in 1607, and that its central satirical focus includes greed, deception and money-obsessed behaviour.
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