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Category Archives: Volpone
Fed Fortune
As I was reading through Volpone and witnessing Mosca’s intelligence and position, I wondered why wasn’t Mosca’s already rich himself? From the start of the play I could tell Mosca held the reins of the whole scheme; all Volpone had to do was think of a plot and lie in bed. Mosca had to be the one on his feet, thinking of minute details in a short amount of time while Volpone acted like a blubbering mess. So why was Mosca still under Volpone’s roof or control for so long if it is clear Mosca’s aware of how a con-artist works? Sure, it could have been because Volpone already had an insurance of wealth that he could live well on for the rest of his life, but if he was so driven to act out Volpone’s antics, it could not have been all too difficult to start his own act? Well then, maybe it was loyalty? However, as the play progressed I could tell Mosca did not want to be under Volpone’s wing forever.
I feel Mosca would never have turned on Volpone if the course of events did not happen in this play. It is partly Volpone’s fault for giving Mosca the opportunity to turn against him, providing Mosca with such a large foothold on his treasures with the will. I believe as Volpone’s tricks started to lose their traction, Mosca started thinking of a way out. The way Jonson planned out the timeline of Volpone, it all worked out perfectly where the bad guys get their punishment and the good remain free. With such a clean ending, I wonder what would have transpired if Mosca could have gotten away with Volpone’s riches and how far the immoral could succeed.
Posted in Power struggles, Revenge, Volpone
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When a “Volpone” emerges on Long Island
I mentioned this article in class:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/brittany-ozarowski-cancer-heroin-lie-hoax-long-island-new-york_n_3054786.html, and felt I should provide the reference. There is a striking overlap between the actions taken by Brittany Ozarowski, a young heroin addict that gulled her family and her community into giving her money for cancer treatments, and those of Volpone who gulled his acquaintances intro giving him gifts. I assume that such guile is standard human practice. It seems like a brilliant plan at first; to look sick and fool others into pitying you. But what then, does the charade go on indefinitely? Volpone figured that it must end eventually. Indeed his sham was exposed through the court and his coconspirator Mosca. In Brittany’s case, it was revealed when donors decided to pay her doctors directly and offered to take her to her visits. In some sense Volpone, while morally ambiguous, only targeted other despicable men, who were blinded by greed and self interest. Brittany’s donors were kind hearted people that legitimately felt bad for her and had nothing to gain from helping her. In this sense Long Island’s Volpone is a different breed than Venice’s Volpone.
Posted in Psychological detail, Volpone
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Almost perfect criminals
There is no such thing as perfect crime because no one is perfect. Volpone and Mosca are the ultimate con artists. When they work together they can pull off any trick and can deceive anyone, anytime. But both men have their faults and this is what causes their fall. Neither of them recognizes that they achieved everything together and can continue only if they are co-operating. Volpone doesn’t appreciate Mosca and Mosca thinks that he can go on alone without Volpone.
Volpone is brilliant in deceiving people, and also, he is enjoying every moment of his tricks. But like a gambler (that he is) doesn’t know where to stop. He is doing his cons for the act itself, not because of greed. He does love his treasure very much; in a blasphemous way he even replaces God with it at the beginning of the play. But what he really likes is to deceive people, to play with them, to control them and then take away whatever valuable they have. This is above all the treasures that he already has. In fact he is giving away everything to Mosca in his will just to pull his new prank on the greedy “carrion birds” and the “she-wolf.” He has his ultimate trust in Mosca and he would never expect Mosca (or furthermore, anyone) to deceive him. He admires his servant’s brilliance in pulling tricks but he fails to recognize his ambition to be more than his sidekick. Mosca for him is just a device (just like his disguise costumes) that helps him to perfectly pull his tricks.
On the other hand Mosca wants to be recognized as (at least) equal to Volpone. He wants to be a true partner in their business venture of crimes. He is not as obsessed by the act itself as Volpone is. He knows that he is good as a con artist and values himself even above of his master. We can see that he is a real pro when he is covering up after Volpone’s failure with Celia, but his true brilliance comes when he is finally in charge. While he is making the inventory of all the valuables he shows who the real boss is now. He kicks out all of those who thought that they have any chance to inherit anything. (Volpone enjoys the show so much and he fails to recognize what is really going on.) Mosca ultimately fails in the courtroom because of his over-confidence. He thinks that he is in total control now. He got what he wanted; he showed what he is capable of, and finally his master also recognizes that they are equal; he wants half of everything and Volpone willing to give it. Together they would get away this time too, but now Mosca is not cooperating and this leads to their ultimate fall.
Volpone vs. Mosca
In class we discussed the differences between Volpone and Mosca, and Carol A. Carr’s article, “Volpone and Mosca: the two styles of roguery” argues that although there are similarities between the two, Volpone is the more intriguing, charismatic and less typical rogue/ villain.
While that may be true, I still find myself preferring Mosca to Volpone. One of the reasons for that is for all their seemingly innate roguishness / villainny there is still one essential difference between them: Volpone is the ‘gentleman’ and Mosca is his servant, his ‘parasite.’ That means that Mosca is dependent on Volpone for his livelihood and for his very survival. However weird their relationship seems in the beginning of the play, however untypical for the usual master / servant relationships, at the end of the day they all, from the vultures: Castrone, Voltore, Carbaccio, to the rest of the world, including Volpone, still view Mosca as someone below them, there to do their bidding. Despite the hints of admiration Volpone shows for Mosca’s ability to turn cons, there is still no admiration or respect for Mosca’s skill, as Volpone says in act 5.7.1-3, “Outstripped thus by a parasite? A slave/Would run on errands, and make legs for crumbs? …” ( And even further proved by the severity of Mosca’s punishment compared to the Volpone’s sentence.)
The article talks about how both Volpone and Mosca are intelligent and creative in their cons, and how although they are both detached from the money, they are detatched for difference reasons. But the issue with that is that while the cons are primarily entertainment (not profit) for Volpone, they are part of Mosca’s job and his way of life in order to survive.
Mosca is much more pragmatic and realistic because that is the reality of his station in life. The article mentions that while Volpone has static disguises he takes on, Mosca’s disguise is constant but at the same time fluid, as he adapts his manner to the person with whom he is interacting. But despite that fact, there is much less pretense to Mosca, no rose- colored cover or pretty words to present the type of person that he is or his motivation in a better light.
In class we also spoke about loyalty and how it seems that Mosca betrays Volpone. But Volpone’s loyalty is to the con, not to Mosca or his bastard children – so why did Mosca have to show him more loyalty than was shown to him?! Mosca says, “ I’ll bury him or gain by him. I am his heir / And so will keep me till he share at least” (5.5.13-15). Mosca wants part of the profit; he wants financial security and independence, which can be understandable because Volpone has no care or caution about anyone beside himself. In a play where every character (except two) is rotten to the core, at least Mosca doesn’t pretend to be better than he is, but the same cannot be said for the others.
Posted in Power struggles, Uncategorized, Volpone
Tagged betrayal, loyalty, master/servant, Mosca, pragmatism, survival, the lesser bad, Volpone
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Loyalty like a Fly
From the beginning it is clear that Mosca’s relationship to Volpone is rooted in the delicate acts they construe. They function as a finely tuned machine of trickery that operates seamlessly, even in the face of unforeseen obstacles. Throughout his servitude to Volpone, Mosca is undoubtedly loyal, and receives the greatest satisfaction at his successes in the name of their bizarre game. While Volpone seems to derive satisfaction from the sheer thrill, Mosca nourishes himself on the scraps of this profound enjoyment, much like a parasite would his host. He is an unswerving and irreplaceable aspect of Volpone’s grand ruse. Until he isn’t. Much like others in the play, he is forced to sacrifice his bizarre code of honor in the face of self-interest, which, oddly enough forces Volpone to do the same. Although portrayed rather abruptly, it would seem that this inevitable reversal is something Jonson is keenly fascinated with, an altogether unsurprising conclusion.
These shifts occur at key junctures. As soon as Volpone commits the fatal flaw of violating their relationship status, by elevating him beyond his well-accepted boundaries, he forces the break in Mosca’s otherwise solid code. In this darker take on the pitfalls of honor, the near inability of it to exist, one finds that the root of this falls to nature, and the movement of people. In such a city, marred as it is by strains of depravity, but also, resting on these shifting, oozing grounds as foundation. Mosca begins to realize that his affection for the con is growing beyond his bounds of loyalty.
Willing his estate to Mosca, forgetting his ultimate reliance on the cunning man, is symbolic for each misstep. And in committing this motion Volpone has allowed himself to fall victim to his own devices. The only way to right this imbalance is to essentially ‘reset’ by self-incrimination and acceptance of guilt. Thus they are all wrapped up in varying levels of greed and conditions for individual honor, and until the final unraveling, this suspends each character against the chaos of the cityscape of Venice.
Ultimately what does this mess present as a central theme? At the risk of oversimplification, some light cliche, and grandiose generalizations, the work as a whole takes a very hopeless turn for those mired in greed and depravity. It would seem that once tainted, various indiscretions are impossible to wash off.
Posted in Power struggles, Psychological detail, Satire, Uncategorized, Volpone
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Satire of the modern human condition
Volpone is a very interesting satire of the modern human condition. The play’s major themes and motifs (greed, deceit, & parasitism) are still some of the major flaws of man today. Johnson’s satire brings to light the inner con artist in everyone.
Johnson’s work resonates with the audience because we are constantly surrounded by the same greed that the character’s have. The lawyers in Volpone are not so different from the lawyers in the present day! Everyday, there are commercials of law firms advertising that they will get the most money for you out of your divorce. Some commercials give you the impression that you will make more money getting a divorce than remaining married. This makes you question the honesty of the lawyers who are prepared to argue for any side at the right price. They also may manipulate the law to get you more money so they can have a larger piece of the percentage. (I’m not trying to throw all lawyers into this argument, just the ones with the low budget commercials)
Volpone’s big con has taken years of planning and disguise. He has put a lot of time into the con and if he pulls it off, he will reap a large reward. We hear of these kinds of cons everyday. Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme was going on for many years. He was able to make millions off of others, and like a parasite did it very discretely. When he was exposed everything fell apart and many people fell with Madoff. When Volpone is exposed to the court many fall with him as well.
This play was written in the 1606 and discusses some of the major flaws that still exist in the human condition. Johnson’s work is an excellent exemplary of an effective satire.
Mosca’s Genuine Grief
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.
Dangerous Desire
Desire plays a major role in Volpone by Ben Jonson. The most dominant theme in this play is by far greed, but desire and lust also play significant roles as well. Volpone and Mosca develop a scheme to manipulate Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino into giving Volpone gifts because of their desire to be named his heir, Volpone and Mosca desire not only to accumulate wealth from their scheme but also to outsmart everyone, and Volpone desires Celia despite her disgust towards him.
At the beginning of the play Volpone says to Mosca, “Yet I glory more in the cunning purchase of my wealth than in the glad possession, since I gain no common way.” (1.1 30-33). This statement shows that Volpone’s desire to be the best con artist outweighs the importance he places on the wealth that he accumulates. His desire to fool everyone is fueled by the desire to ascertain Volpone’s wealth of Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino. Once Volpone sees Celia, his desire quickly changes from gaining wealth through his scheme to claiming the love of Celia, although it seems that he has more lust for her than love and will do anything to have sex with her. Celia is one of the few symbols of good in this play and she is saved by Bonario when Volpone tries to rape her.
Desire can be strong motivation for the actions of individuals. In many cases, people desire to reach a goal that represents success to them. However, in Volpone, Ben Jonson manipulates human nature to twist his characters’ desires to yearn for unethical things, causing them to act in a grotesque manner at times. Corvino prostitutes his wife, Volpone attempts to commit rape and adultery, and Mosca manipulates Voltore into lying and nearly has two innocent individuals punished for crimes that they did not commit. Nearly every character in this play, with the exception of two, has a rotten core and some even acknowledge their wrongdoing and yet they still do not care. Desire is a powerful emotion and when the goal is bad, the means to reach that goal may be worse than the goal itself.
Volpone: Buried Under his own schemes
This whole play has Volpone dressing himself up to be someone he is not. Starting from the beginning of the play from Act one, Scene one, he has Mosca dress him up as ill and sick and near death. All this is done to make a profit off the people that would visit him. Although he uses different disguises to be the con man he is, all his disguises and plots to gain money have a sick intention.
For example, in the second plot he has to sell people a great potion that cures anything and everything. His audience is the people who are sick or have some form of distress in their lives. Either he plays sick or benefits off the sick. Although this is an obvious analysis of his character I would like to look into how these different “people” he pretends to be just bury his true self deeper and deeper.
I have hard a hard time figuring out who he really is and what he really wants out of his own life. He has Mosca in his life who is described as parasite. In the same way Volpone would become a parasite on the society he is scheming upon.
Posted in Psychological detail, Volpone
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Insight into a Parasite
The soliloquy delivered by Mosca in Act III scene 1 is a significant scene of the play because it is a direct insight into a character who the audience previously doesn’t know much about besides that he uses his cleverness and manipulation to benefit his master. Mosca is an example of the “parasite” stock character, and even refers to himself as a parasite throughout this soliloquy. In the soliloquy, Mosca reveals his increasing independence from Volpone by saying, “I fear I shall begin to grow in love/ With my dear self and my most prosperous parts…” Mosca is growing increasingly narcissistic and he praises himself, calling himself the truest of parasites because he of his innate ability to deceive and swiftly adapt to situations. Mosca views the role of being a parasite as a superior role in society, saying “…Almost/ All the wise world is little else in nature/ But parasites or subparasites.” While he is nearly completely dependent on Volpone for his survival, ironically Volpone is also dependent on Mosca, who heavily aids him in his schemes. Mosca knows that Volpone is dependent on him in carrying out his hoax, therefore he is becoming more confident in his parasitism and develops a more inflated self-worth.
