Volpone (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Ben Jonson
- First Published: 1607
- Type of Work: Drama
- Type of Plot: Social satire
- Time of Work: Sixteenth century
- Setting: Venice
- Principal Characters: Volpone, Mosca, Corbaccio, Corvino, Voltore, Lord Politic Would-Be, Lady Politic Would-Be, Bonario, Celia, Peregrine
- Genres: Satire, Drama
- Subjects: Mistaken or secret identity, Greed, Truthfulness and falsehood, Corruption, Servants, Sixteenth century, Italy or Italians, Wealth, Impostors or imposture
- Locales: Venice, Italy
The Story:
Volpone and his servant, Mosca, were playing a cunning game with all who professed to be Volpone’s friends, and the two conspirators boasted to themselves that Volpone acquired his riches not by the common means of trade but by a method which cheated no one in a commercial sense. Volpone had no heirs. Since it was believed he possessed a large fortune, many people were courting his favor in the hope of rich rewards after his death.
For three years, while Volpone feigned gout, catarrh, palsy, and consumption, valuable gifts had been given to him. Volpone was...
[The entire page is 2533 words long]
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