Volpone: Analysis of Setting
"Volpone: Analysis of Setting" explores the intricate environments within Ben Jonson's play "Volpone," emphasizing how these locations enhance the themes of deception and greed. The primary setting is Volpone's lavish house, which serves as a symbol of wealth and cunning. It features an outer gallery that allows for the reception of duplicitous visitors while concealing a treasure trove of riches hidden behind drawn curtains. This juxtaposition of opulence and secrecy reflects Volpone's foxlike nature and manipulative schemes.
Another significant setting is Corvino's house, situated near St. Mark's Place, which is depicted as a hub of deceitful activity, attracting various characters, including con artists and pickpockets. The dynamics within Corvino's household, particularly the interactions between him and his wife, Cecelia, provide insight into the personal conflicts and moral dilemmas faced by the characters. Overall, these settings not only contribute to the play’s atmosphere but also deepen the exploration of human greed and the lengths to which individuals will go to achieve wealth and status.
Volpone: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1607
First produced: 1605
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Social satire
Time of work: Sixteenth century
Places Discussed
Volpone’s house
Volpone’s house (vohl-POH-nay). Home of the Venetian magnifico, whose name means “fox.” With an outer gallery or waiting room for dupes and a dazzling treasure cache, piles of gold, plate, and jewels hidden behind the rear-stage curtain, Volpone’s house is a handy location for storing the rich gifts of solicitous visitors. When guests are present, the drawn curtains hide this shrine to wealth, and the foxlike Volpone stretches out on his sickbed in gown, furs, and nightcap, as his servant, Mosca, ushers in the assorted base creatures.
Hiding places are important to this set, for Bonario must observe Volpone’s revelation of ardent passion unseen, just as Voltore must overhear Mosca and Corbaccio. Curtains close around Volpone on his couch as Mosca at a desk inventories the supposed inheritance of hopefuls.
Corvino’s house
Corvino’s house (kohr-VEE-noh). Home of a Venetian merchant, near St. Mark’s Place. The location attracts pickpockets, con artists, and schemers of every stripe. Corvino’s wife Cecelia looks down from a balcony, which opens into a room in Corvino’s house where he chides her. In front of the house, Mosca and a servant erect a stage for a medicine vendor to display his wares, and a disguised Volpone mounts the platform and haggles over high-priced quackery.
Bibliography
Barish, Jonas A. “The Double Plot in Volpone.” In Ben Jonson: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Jonas A. Barish. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1963. Analyzes the play’s structure to defend the relevance of the subplot concerning Sir Politic and Lady Politic Would-Be, which he sees as a caricature of the main plot.
Cave, Richard Allen. Ben Jonson. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991. Devotes a chapter of analysis to the play’s plot, themes, and characters. Includes some discussion of the play’s production history.
Dessen, Alan C. Jonson’s Moral Comedy. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 1971. Dessen devotes one chapter to a discussion of Volpone, which he sees as pivotal, marking a shift in Jonson’s perceptions away from the influences of the old morality plays such as Everyman and toward a satiric comedy that examines the moral implications of human failings.
Miles, Rosalind. Ben Jonson: His Craft and Art. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1990. Discusses Volpone with particular attention to the techniques of Jonson’s satire, noting that nothing is exempt from his dark vision of human beings as jungle animals, quick to prey on one another.
Summers, Claude J., and Ted-Larry Pebworth. Ben Jonson. Boston: Twayne, 1979. A general introduction to Jonson and his work. Includes a discussion of Volpone that concentrates on the play’s satiric themes and structure.