story

1. •Name:BenjaminJonson
•BirthDate:June11th,1572
•PlaceofBirth:London,
England
•Occupation:Playwright,Actor
andPoet
•FamousWorks:Volpone,The
AlchemistEveryManinHis
Humour,TheCoronation
Triumph,ToCelia
•DeathDate:August6th,1637
•PlaceofDeath:London,
England

2. Characters
•Volpone(theFox):-A
greedy,childlessVenetian
nobleman
•Mosca(theFly):-His
servant
•Voltore(theVulture):-A
lawyer
•Corbaccio(theRaven):-An
avariciousoldmiser
•Bonario:-Corbaccio'sson
•Corvino(theCarrion
Crow):-Amerchant
•Celia:-Corvino'swife

3. •Volponewasfirstperformedatthe
GlobeTheaterin
thespringof1606.
•Itsaudiencesincludesomearistocrats,
prosperous
citizens,lower-classgroundlingsand
somelearned
peopleatOxfordandCambridge,to
whomJonson
dedicatedtheprintededitionof
Volpone.
•Theplay,setinVeniceisabout
Volpone(which
meansfoxinItalian),arichman,who
makeshis
moneybypretendingtobeadyingman
withnofamily
withalargeinheritance.
INTRODUCTION

4. •VolponeisaVenetiangentlemanwhopretendsto
beonhisdeathbed,
afteralongillness,inordertodupeVoltore,
Corbaccio,andCorvino,
threemenwhoaspiretoinherithisfortune.Intheir
turns,eachman
arrivestoVolpone’shousebearingaluxuriousgift,
intentuponhaving
hisnameinscribedtothewillofVolpone,ashisheir.
Mosca,Volpone’s
parasiteservant,encourageseachman,Voltore,
Corbaccio,and
Corvino,tobelievethathehasbeennamedheirto
Volpone’sfortune;in
thecourseofwhich,MoscapersuadesCorbaccioto
disinherithisown
soninfavourofVolpone.
•ToVolpone,MoscamentionsthatCorvinohasa
beautifulwife,Celia.
DisguisedasScototheMountebank,Volponegoesto
seeCelia.
CorvinodrivesawayScoto(Volpone),whothen
becomesinsistentthat
hemustpossessCeliaashisown.Moscadeceives
Corvinointo
believingthatthemoribundVolponerequiressexual
congresswitha
youngwomaninordertoreviveandrisefromhis
deathbed.The
cupidityofCorvinoleadshimtoofferCelia,hiswife,in
ordertoplease
Volpone’svoluptuousness,andsobecomehisheir.
Summary

5. •JustbeforeCorvinoandCeliaareduetoarrivefor
hersexualcongress
withVolpone,Corbaccio’sson,Bonario,arrivesto
catchhisfatherinthe
actofdisinheritinghim.MoscaguidesCorbacciotoa
sideroom,and
VolponeandCeliaareleftalone.Uponfailingto
seduceCeliawith
fantasticpromisesofluxuryandwealth,Volpone
attemptstorapeher.
BonariocomesforwardtorescueCelia.Intheensuing
trialatcourt,the
truthofthematteriswell-buriedbyVoltore,usinghis
prowessasa
lawyertoconvincetheAvocatori,withfalseevidence
givenbyMosca,
Volponeandtheotherdupes.
•ThereareepisodesinvolvingtheEnglishtravellersSir
andLadyPolitic
Would-BeandPeregrine.SirPoliticconstantlytalksof
plotsandhis
outlandishbusinessplans,whileLadyWould-Be
annoysVolponewith
herceaselesstalking.Moscaco-ordinatesamix-up
betweenthem
whichleavesPeregrine,amoresophisticatedtraveller,
feelingoffended.
HehumiliatesSirPolitickbytellinghimheistobe
arrestedforsedition,
andmakinghimhideinsideagianttortoiseshell.

6. •Volponeinsistsondisguisinghimself,andhavingit
announcedthathehasdiedandwilledhiswealthto
Mosca,whichenragesthewould-beheirs,Voltore,
Corbaccio,andCorvino,andeveryonereturnsto
courttodisputethewillofVolpone,whobecomes
entangledinthecircumstancesoftheplotsthathe
andMoscadevised.
•DespiteVolpone’spleas,Moscarefusestorelinquish
hisnewroleasarichman;Volponerevealshimself,
andhisdeceits,inordertotoppletherichMosca;in
theevent,Voltore,Corbaccio,andCorvinofinallyare
punished.
•Volponeinsistsondisguisinghimself,andhavingit
announcedthathehasdiedandwilledhiswealthto
Mosca,whichenragesthewould-beheirs,Voltore,
Corbaccio,andCorvino,andeveryonereturnsto
courttodisputethewillofVolpone,whobecomes
entangledinthecircumstancesoftheplotsthathe
andMoscadevised.
•DespiteVolpone’spleas,Moscarefusestorelinquish
hisnewroleasarichman;Volponerevealshimself,
andhisdeceits,inordertotoppletherichMosca;in
theevent,Voltore,Corbaccio,andCorvinofinallyare
punished.