Mosca’s character develops throughout the play as seemingly devoted to his master, a “parasite” attached to his host. Yet in the final scenes of Volpone, the parasite decides to suck the life out of his master by asking for half of Volpone’s wealth (5.12.63). Of course, since Volpone is greedy and wishes to keep all his money to himself, he shoots the offer down and decides ultimately to reveal himself in front of the judges as a non-sick or non- dead man. Mosca’s dedication to Volpone’s schemes was proven to be hope that they would somehow lead him to be the actual heir of the inheritance. Though he knew Volpone was still alive, he assumed his boss’s arrogance would lead Mosca’s own scheme to be unrevealed. Yet it was and they all paid the price for their greed.
Mosca seemed to genuinely “grieve” for Voltore during Act 5, scene 3, when he explained to all four “heirs” what they did wrong to lose out on the inheritance. He is speaking in such a moral voice that it becomes a contrast to his own scheming; all the while Volpone is watching and praising Mosca for his “villainy” (5.3.61), which will eventually bite Volpone in the end. Mosca seems to feed off the praise from Volpone, but also sensing that Volpone’s scheme cannot be prolonged further and feeling the guilt of carrying out the ruse. He does not speak up to Volpone throughout the play to voice his concern. He continues to be a pawn because of his social status and does not tell Volpone that they probably should not do this or that because it might lead to an even bigger problem. Instead, he helps Volpone create more schemes. His lack of ability to speak up may be why he is condemned for life as a slave. Mosca is the character, which drives the play’s story, yet also forces the audience to wonder whether his words are trustworthy at all.
Jillian, this is a novel approach to Mosca’s nature, and I thank you for suggesting that he has a deeper emotional life than I would have credited him with.