Q: Volpone as a comedy
Many critics of Ben Jonson's ''Volpone'' have argued that it
is not a true comedy but rather a mix of tragedy, comedy,
and satire. Many have also claimed that it follows the
traditional beast-fable that can be found in the tales of
Aesop. Although Volpone takes on some characteristics of
tragedy, it seems to follow closer to the conventions of
comedy. But it is not the traditional form of comedy. It is a
play that takes on the form of a comical satire as well as a
morality play. It also adapts the features of a fable in that it
strives to teach a moral. Yet this play, even though it
adopts these traditions, puts a different twist on what
people would expect from a comedy or morality play.
Jonson presents his audience with an unconventional way
of approaching the subjects he is satirizing by creating a
new form of comedy that embodies aspects of all three
genres.
Since we are considering Volpone to be a comedy, but
rather than the city comedies that were popular at the time
I believe this play to be a comedy of humors, more like a
satirical comedy. Can be considered as satire because he is
criticizing his age and social atmosphere. He also has as a
main influence of his play the satiric works of Juvenal. Like
Juvenal, Jonson is satirizing the whole of his country.
Whether it is the corruption of the court that we find in
Voltore or the immorality of the legacy hunters Jonson is
satirizing the importance of money during his time.
But there is a striking difference between Volpone and
the traditional idea of comical satire. The disparity between
Volpone and the conventional comical satire is
instantaneously evident. Gone are the static spokesman,
the conveniently formulated ideal, and the easy
dispensation of comic justice from a lofty vantage point. [1]
Instead in Volpone one can see a playwright who is
perturbed with "conveying an anatomy of the time's
deformity through comedy." The deformity that Jonson is
attempting to make an observation on is the amplification
on the magnitude of money. This distortion is
demonstrated in the opening two lines of the play when
Volpone awakes and declares, "Good morning to the day;
and next, my gold: open the shrine, that I may see my
saint".
In this opening scene the audience can observe that the
Volpone's world is not in order. When God is intended to
be the reason of worship it is patent that the greed that
shrouds most of the characters of the play is the subject
matter of Jonson's comedy. In this respect one can see that
Volpone is not merely a collection of comic vignettes and
satirical caricatures. The play is a concrete satire on the
scruples of the time. In this initial scene Jonson is laying the
foundations for a thought-provoking satire as well as a
morality play.
The satire corresponds with the malformation that
subsists in Jonson's London. It is a lampoon on the "very
fabric of justice" in London as well as the significance
people put on affluence over "such basic concerns as the
ties between husband and wife, (and) the ties between
father and son." The core impetus of this satire on social
ethics is dealt with in the situation of Corvino and his wife.
In the Mountebank scene we witness traditional ideals
consume Corvino. During the scene Corvino's wife, Celia
behaves as a coquette with Volpone. Corvino bears witness
to this and postulates that it is the "death of mine honor"
(2.1, 1). Up until this point in the play he acts as the
covetous husband. Once Mosca offers him with a ability to
prostitute his wife for monetary gain, he is swift to lose his
honour in exchange for the inheritance. Jonson
demonstrates to his audience how odious Corvino is in
abandoning his principles in exchange for fiscal gain. He
criticises the "materialism of the age" for "elevating gold
'above God." His farce "makes avarice the prevailing
theme." The characters of Jonson's comedy are so obsessed
in becoming Volpone's heir they utterly disregard any sense
of dignity.
Jonson further mocks his society by illustrating how
"Corvino and Corbaccio are willing to sacrifice their dearest
possession in hope of gain." The union between father and
son is something that is naturally sancrosanct. Once
Corbaccio discovers that the only method he can become
Volpone's beneficiary is to disinherit his own son Bonario,
and name Volpone his official heir he is swift to do so.
Through Corbaccio's exploits, Jonson is providing the
audience with a glimpse at how cupidity impinges on
traditional social ideals. In Volpone, Jonson is examining
the circumstances that he observes exists around him.
Owing to the relationships between Corvino and Celia and
Corbaccio and Bonario the playwright is revealing to his
audience the obstreperous ramifications money has on
traditional ethics. These characters are willing to relinquish
their most treasured traditions and principles in exchange
for affluence. By making the characters of Corvino and
Corbaccio so vituperative the audience can perceive
Jonson's satire of the social ideals that were beginning to
taint London.
Through his portrayal of gold as an item that is deified,
Jonson has bestowed the audience with a state where
moral integrity comes
