Volpone: Or, The Fox

“”Volpone, or The Fox”” is a play by Ben Jonson, first staged in 1606. It is a comedy that satirizes greed and lust for wealth, set in Venice. The play remains one of Jonson’s most performed works and is considered a classic of Jacobean drama. The plot centers on Volpone, a wealthy Venetian nobleman who, with the help of his cunning servant Mosca, feigns a fatal illness to trick three wealthy men: Voltore, a lawyer; Corbaccio, an old miser; and Corvino, a merchant. Each of these men believes that by showering Volpone with gifts, they will be named his sole heir. As they bring increasingly lavish gifts, Mosca deftly manipulates each of them, promising that they are the favored heir. The comedy intensifies as Volpone goes further with his deceptions, including disguising himself to seduce Corvino’s beautiful wife, Celia. The plot spirals out of control as the characters’ greed leads them into more outrageous situations. Eventually, their scheming leads to a dramatic courtroom scene where all pretenses collapse. Volpone’s ruse is exposed, and the play concludes with the corrupt characters receiving their comeuppances in forms tailored to their vices: Volpone is sentenced to remain in his feigned sickness without access to his wealth, while the others face various penalties reflective of their moral failures. —- ISBN: 9798323352401