Ben Jonson's Volpone: AO3 CONTEXT

Ben Jonson's Volpone: AO3 CONTEXT

1. Religion

   • Joson frequently makes references to religion to mock the conflicts between the Catholic church faith and the Protestant faith.
     • Equivication: presented in Volpone to reflect how members of the church changed their minds as if they stuck to their faith, they were being faithful bit if it wasn't what they wanted, they would be killed. People wanted to avoid being killed whilst being faithful.
     • "Shrine"
     • "Saint"

2. Volpone, meaning "the fox", has been

3. Beast Fables

   • There are frequent direct references to beast fables such as the eponymous character "Volpone" from the beast fable "The Fox and the Crow" where the fox tricks the crow by asking him to sing causing him to drop the cheese that the fox wanted.
   • Beast fables were stories designed to teach and warn people about trust and crooks however, Jonson has produced a didactic play with an added comedic approach that keeps his audience interested

4. Manipulation & Deception

5. Pride & Honour/Reputation

   • The animalistic approach that the legacy hunters take to bribing Volpone is an example of pride as they all compete like animals with lack of humanity and a Machiavellian approach.
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6. Money & Wealth

   • "Open the shrine and let me see thy saint"
     • Jonson is presenting the importance on money and wealth in the play through the mocking of the catholic faith to please his mainly protestant audience
   • "I glory more in the cunning purchase [...] than in the glad possession"
     • Showing how Volpone enjoys getting the money rather than having the wealth. Describes his
   • "Good morning to the day, and next my gold"
     • Juxtaposition of his gold and the morning represents Volpone's perception of wealth

7. Greed

8. Law & Justice

   • Venice is the "seat of immorality" thus encouraging the audience to accept the lack of justice that occurs in the denouement

9. Loyalty, Betrayal & Trust

   • "I could stifle him rarely with a pillow as well as any woman that should keep him"

10. Putting on an act/play

11. Ben Jonson's life

    • Born in 1572, soon after the death of his father which would have been a suitable influence for the play's basis and the primogenitor
    • Jonson had a very successful education so he tried to replicate this intelligence through his plays by creating a consistent didactic tone to teach his audiences and warn them about who not to trust.
      • Morailty plays
      • Oxford university
      • Jonson's intelligence influenced his idea to keep to the rules of the three unities
    • Jonson was of Protestant faith.