Volpone the Fox
Uploaded by mfarrit on Apr 19, 2004
Volpone the Fox was written by Ben Jonson, a great renaissance dramatist who followed Shakespeare but was far below him. As a person, he was very proud and rude.
This play is a comedy of the allurement of wealth. I can say that the motto of nearly all protagonists could be “There’s no embarrassing way to earn money”. That is because they are capable of doing anything to get them.
The play is situated in Venice. A well-to-do noble Volpone and his astute servant Mosca found out an outstanding way of getting money. Volpone had no family members (no inheritors), so he pleaded sickness. Then greedy people started to converge. A lawyer Voltore, merchant Corvino and Corbaccio, the old man, tried to carry Volpone by giving him gifts of enormous value. Then he could wrote their names to his last will. When one could renounce his son, second be perjurious and third compel his wife to have sex with another man, there were everything vicious, no feelings were involved. But in the end all their efforts became of no avail and everyone got what he deserved.
Volpone the Fox can make you do forget about your problems and muse about the play. In my opinion everyone selects his own favourite person and favour him/her. And I choose Mosca. I assessed the play by 80 % by reason that the play was not boring, especially in its second half.