Characters Discussed
Volpone
Volpone (vohl-POH-nay), the Fox, a Venetian magnifico. Delighting in foxlike trickery, Volpone scorns the easy gain of cheating widows and orphans and the hard gain of labor. He chooses for his victims Venice’s leading crooked advocate, its most greedy and dishonest merchant, and its most hardened miser. The joy of the chase of gold and jewels belonging to others is keener to him than the possession. He also delights in acting, both onstage and off. To fool others with disguises, makeup, and changes of voice is a passion with him. His three weaknesses are excessive trust of his unreliable parasite Mosca, his ungovernable desire for Corvino’s virtuous wife Celia, and his overconfidence in his ability to deceive. When defeated, however, he shows a humorous and sporting self-knowledge and resignation to his punishment.
Mosca
Mosca (MOS-kah), the Gadfly, Volpone’s malicious and witty parasite. Acting as the chief instrument of Volpone’s trickery and the frequent instigator of additional pranks, he keeps the plot moving. Under cover of tormenting Volpone’s victims, he often engages in annoying Volpone himself, almost always with impunity. His tantalizing of Volpone with sensuous descriptions of Celia sets in train the events that finally destroy both his master and himself. A master improviser of deceit and pranks, he becomes in love with his dear self, underestimates his master, and falls victim to his own overconfidence and greed. He whines and curses as he is dragged away to punishment.
Voltore
Voltore (vohl-TOH-ray), the Vulture, an advocate. A ruthless and voracious scavenger seeking the spoils of the dead, he yearns for Volpone’s wealth. He is willing to connive whenever gain is apparent. A dangerous man when thwarted, he helps Volpone achieve acquittal in his first trial; then, tormented beyond endurance by Mosca, who pretends that Volpone is dead and has left Voltore nothing, the lawyer reverses himself and causes the collapse of Volpone’s plans.
Corbaccio
Corbaccio (kohr-BAH-chee-oh), the Raven, an aged miser, feeble, deaf, and pathologically greedy. He is willing to risk his son’s inheritance to have Volpone exchange wills with him. He is also willing to have Mosca administer poison in Volpone’s sleeping draft to hasten the validation of the will.
Corvino
Corvino (kohr-VEE-noh), the Crow, the merchant husband of Celia. Mean-spirited, cowardly, and insanely jealous of his beautiful wife, he is the most repulsive of Volpone’s victims. His greed is sufficient to counteract his jealousy, and he is willing to leave his wife in Volpone’s hands to assure his future as Volpone’s heir.
Celia
Celia (SEEL-yuh), Corvino’s virtuous wife. Cursed with a repulsive and pathologically jealous husband, the heavenly Celia faces her slander and perils with noble fortitude.
Bonario
Bonario (boh-NAH-ree-oh), the good son of Corbaccio. He is the savior of Celia when she is helpless in Volpone’s clutches.
Lady Politic Would-Be
Lady Politic Would-Be, a parrot-voiced, shallow-brained Englishwoman. She grates on Volpone’s sensibilities so much that he is willing to lose the financial gains she thrusts on him. At any price, he wishes to be rid of “my madam with the everlasting voice.” Her unreasonable jealousy makes her a gullible tool when Mosca accuses her husband of having an affair with Celia; her resulting false testimony saves Volpone and convicts Celia and Bonario at the first trial.
Sir Politic Would-Be
Sir Politic Would-Be, a gullible, naïve traveler. Eager to be thought a member of the inner circle of state knowledge, Sir Pol has a sinister explanation for even the most commonplace actions. He furnishes the picture of the ridiculous English tourist on the...
(This entire section contains 680 words.)
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Continent.
Peregrine
Peregrine (PEH-reh-green), a sophisticated traveler. He finds amusement, mixed with contempt, in the credulities and foibles of Sir Pol.
Androgyno
Androgyno (ahn-DROHJ-eh-noh), a hermaphrodite,
Castrone
Castrone (kah-STROH-neh), a eunuch, and
Nano
Nano (NAH-noh), a dwarf, household freaks kept by Volpone for amusement.
Avocatori
Avocatori (ah-VOH-kah-TOH-ree), the four judges. The ambition of the fourth, to marry his daughter to Mosca, stirs Volpone to make his confession, which saves Bonario and Celia and brings punishment on the evildoers.
Characters
Androgyno
Androgyno is a hermaphrodite who serves in Volpone's household, primarily for Volpone's amusement and flattery. Along with Castrone and Nano, Androgyno's appearance in Act I is orchestrated by Mosca to further ingratiate himself with Volpone. This trio reappears throughout the play whenever Volpone needs additional entertainment or distraction.
Avocatori
The Avocatori are the four judges presiding over Volpone's trial. Initially, they are misled by Voltore's accusations against Celia and Bonario, as well as the false testimonies presented. After Voltore is disinherited, he confesses his crime to these magistrates. The judges, initially confused, uncover the truth when Volpone confesses his scheme. They then pass judgment on all the conspirators and ensure justice for Bonario and Celia.
Bonario
Bonario is Corbaccio's son. Mosca informs Bonario that his father plans to disinherit him and leave his estate to Volpone. Reluctant to believe ill of his father, Bonario is swayed by Mosca's tears and agrees to eavesdrop on a conversation between Volpone and Corbaccio. Bonario is a virtuous man who rescues Celia from Volpone's advances. Despite Lady Politic Would-be's false testimony, which leads to Bonario and Celia being accused and tried as schemers, Bonario's honor is restored, and he inherits his father's estate once the plots are uncovered.
Castrone
Castrone is a eunuch and one of the unusual characters in Volpone's household. Alongside Androgyno and Nano, Castrone's role is to entertain Volpone whenever he is bored or needs a distraction.
Celia
Celia, the wife of Corvino, is characterized by her honesty and purity, standing in stark contrast to most other characters in the play. Despite being mistreated by her husband, who offers her to Volpone in hopes of becoming his heir, Celia refuses to comply. Corvino falsely assures her that Volpone's health is so poor she will be safe sleeping by his side. When Volpone attempts to assault her, Bonario intervenes and saves her. Celia faces her trials with dignity, even when wrongfully convicted at the first trial. Her character highlights the plight of women during this period, treated merely as property to be traded or sold.
Corbaccio
Corbaccio, also known as The Raven, is an old miser eager to inherit Volpone's wealth. He is frail, deaf, and driven by greed. Volpone persuades Corbaccio to disinherit his own son, Bonario, in favor of Volpone, who promises to bequeath his estate to Bonario. Completely deceived by this plan, Corbaccio even conspires to hasten Volpone's death with poison. Corrupted by Mosca's schemes and his own greed, Corbaccio testifies against his son at the trial. In the final act, the magistrates punish Corbaccio by sending him to a monastery and directing him to transfer his estate to Bonario.
Corvino
Corvino, also known as The Crow, is a wealthy merchant eager to inherit Volpone's estate. He is mean-spirited, cowardly, and jealous of his wife, Celia. However, his greed overshadows these traits. When he learns that Volpone desires Celia, Corvino is willing to sacrifice her virtue for financial gain. He leaves Celia with Volpone, following Mosca's suggestion that Volpone's doctors recommended a beautiful young woman sleep beside him. To secure Volpone's favor, Corvino offers his own wife, believing Volpone is too weak to exploit her. Corvino's punishment is the loss of Celia, who must return to her father with her dowry tripled.
The Crow
See Corvino.
The Fox
See Volpone.
The Gadfly
See Mosca.
Lady Politic Would-be
Lady Politic Would-be is the wife of an English tourist. She affects peculiar airs and is incessantly talkative. Shallow and lacking intelligence, her constant prattle is so vexing to Volpone that he would rather lose money than endure her presence. She is irrationally jealous and behaves foolishly when told her husband is having an affair with Celia. Lady Politic Would-be provides false testimony at the first trial, aiding Volpone. She attempts to conceal her mental shortcomings with cosmetics and attire.
Mosca
Mosca, also known as The Gadfly, is Volpone's sycophant who schemes against others. He is both malicious and witty. Mosca's role is to convince each gift-giver that they will be the beneficiary of Volpone's will. While executing Volpone's plans, Mosca also devises pranks that extend his master's schemes. He tantalizes Volpone with descriptions of Celia, exploiting Volpone's desire for her, which ultimately leads to the downfall of their plots. Mosca is enamored with himself and, like many egotists, underestimates his master. Unlike Volpone, who accepts his defeat with dignity, Mosca whines and curses as he is taken away at the play's conclusion. As a commoner, Mosca's punishment is harsher than Volpone's, making him pay a steeper price for his extensive plotting.
Nano
Nano is a dwarf and one of the oddities Volpone keeps for amusement, serving to entertain and flatter him. Nano, along with Castrone and Androgyno, appears in Act I as part of Mosca's plan to ingratiate himself with Volpone. The trio reappears later in the play when Volpone needs a distraction.
Peregrine
Peregrine is a wise and sophisticated traveler, standing in stark contrast to Sir Politic Would-be. When Lady Politic Would-be mistakenly identifies Peregrine as a courtesan, suspecting her husband of infidelity, Peregrine concludes that Sir Politic Would-be lacks honor. Consequently, Peregrine devises a plan to seek revenge and undermine the English knight's ego and influence.
The Raven
Refer to Corbaccio.
Sir Politic Would-be
Sir Politic Would-be is an English knight symbolizing the typical English tourist in Venice. Ambitious yet naive, he is constantly wary of spies and eager to be seen as politically astute. He admires Volpone without realizing that Volpone mocks him, and aspires to emulate him. Since Volpone himself is a master of deception, Sir Politic Would-be's imitation is merely a mimicry of pretense. Unknowingly, he becomes the victim of Mosca's schemes, making him an even greater fool. This also motivates Peregrine to make Sir Politic the subject of his own jest.
Volpone
Volpone, also known as The Fox, is an elderly "magnifico" who revels more in the game of acquiring wealth than in the wealth itself. With no family to inherit his estate, he finds amusement in pretending to leave his fortune to various followers, manipulating them into giving him lavish gifts. While some might argue that Volpone shows a degree of integrity by avoiding the exploitation of widows and children, he simply finds them too easy a target. Instead, he chooses victims who present a challenge. Volpone delights in his elaborate performances and disguises. However, his schemes are vulnerable due to three main weaknesses: his complete trust in Mosca, his insatiable desire for Celia, and his overconfidence in his own intellect while underestimating his adversaries. When his deceptions are uncovered, Volpone accepts his punishment with humor and resignation.
Voltore
Voltore, known as The Vulture, is a lawyer who showers Volpone with extravagant gifts in hopes of inheriting his estate. Competing with two others for Volpone's favor, Voltore is a scavenger preying on the dying. He assists Volpone in his initial trial, ensuring his acquittal by manipulating witnesses. However, Voltore is perilous; when Mosca falsely announces Volpone's death and excludes Voltore from the will, Voltore orchestrates the downfall of Volpone's schemes. Ultimately, Voltore is disbarred and banished when the truth comes to light.
The Vulture
Refer to Voltore.
