Volpone

This Revels Student Edition, with a carefully modernized text, presents new material about Volpone 's debt to the popular Reynard beast epic and Italian commedia dell 'art and discusses its mockery of greed in relation to two Renaissance perversions of the myth of a Golden Age. Referring to famous productions, it pays particular attention to decisions that must be made whenever the play is performed.

"Volpone" is a satirical comedy play written by Ben Jonson, an English playwright, poet, and literary critic. The play was first performed in 1606 and is considered one of Jonson's major works. "Volpone" is known for its sharp wit, intricate plotting, and satirical examination of greed and deception. Key features of "Volpone" include: 1. **Plot and Characters:** The play revolves around the central character, Volpone, a wealthy Venetian magnifico who feigns a severe illness to attract legacy hunters willing to offer him gifts in the hope of inheriting his fortune. The plot involves a series of deceitful schemes and subplots. 2. **Themes of Greed and Deception:** "Volpone" satirizes the themes of greed, avarice, and the corruption of the legal system. The characters engage in various forms of deception, highlighting the vices associated with the pursuit of wealth. 3. **Humor and Wit:** Jonson employs intricate wordplay, clever dialogue, and comedic situations to create a humorous and entertaining play. The humor often arises from the characters' attempts to outwit each other. 4. **Moral and Social Commentary:** Beneath the comedic surface, "Volpone" provides moral and social commentary on the corrupting influence of wealth, the hypocrisy of society, and the consequences of unchecked greed. 5. **Subplots and Supporting Characters:** The play features several subplots involving characters such as Mosca, Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino, each contributing to the overall satire and complicating the main narrative. "Volpone" is a significant example of Jacobean comedy and is praised for its skillful use of language, intricate plotting, and its exploration of timeless themes related to human nature and society.

This is the most thoroughly investigated edition of Volpone to date, based on a wider collation of the 1607 quarto and 1616 folio versions than was previously possible. It calls into question several accepted textual conclusions. The introduction sets Volpone in the context of Jonson’s career at the time of writing and introduces new material on its relation to the Reynard beast epic and the commedia dell’ arte. Ambiguities in the play are discussed with reference to two Renaissance perversions of the myth of the Golden Age. Particular attention is paid to the rhythmic effects of the play in performance, especially interweavings of the main plot and subplot. Fresh suggestions are made about the play’s opening and its controversial conclusion in the light of experiments that have been made in performance since Volpone ’s stage revival in 1921. The modernized text is accompanied by full commentary, notes and illustrations. The appendices include a discussion by John Cutts of the original music, passages translated from the original sources and analogues, and a full record of the play’s modern stage history, its many adaptations, and its transformations into opera, musical comedy, film and television.

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One of the blackest comedies ever written, Ben Jonson's Volpone is the masterpiece of a playwright all too frequently dismissed for being unnecessarily dark and academic. Merciless in its depiction of avarice, this rich and masterful play provokes both laughter and indignation in its audiences. This Handbook: - Provides in-depth analysis of the play, scene by scene and line by line - Examines the multitude of interpretations of Volpone throughout history, including both on stage and screen - Explores the critical discourse surrounding the play and summarises the social and literary forces that shaped Jonson's work

A Study Guide for Ben Jonson's "Volpone," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama For Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama For Students for all of your research needs.

Through studying Volpone's three bastard children, this book discusses how Jonson's comedies are built upon the tension between death, castration and nothingness on one hand, and the comic slippage of identities in the city on the other.