Feb 22, 2015 volpones song to celia aubrey beardsleys front cover to volpone this weeks poem is from volpone, by ben jonson, a biting, hilarious satire set in venice about a man undone by his own greed and lust, who undoes a good many others in the process and has some rather wicked fun on the way though not as much as he intends. In ben jonson, volpone, and the gunpowder plot, a byproduct of his editing labors, dutton advances several claims. Mosca tells volpone that he recognizes the person knocking as voltore, the lawyer, and volpone instructs mosca to fetch his disguise and to tell voltore that the bed sheets are being changed in order to delay him. Volpone radix malorum est cupiditas not money but the desire for it, or anything. Ben jonsons volpone 1605 is the best known, most performed and most studied of all of his plays. Ben jonson s plays and masques norton critical edition, 2nd ed. Manchester university press, apr 15, 1999 drama 209 pages.
The texts of these plays have all been newly edited for this volume, and are presented with modernized spelling. Ben jonson went from a classically educated schoolboy to an apprentice bricklayer and solider, before becoming one of the 17thcenturys most eminent playwrights and poets. May 01, 2003 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. But london in the early years of the 17th century, where jonson lived and worked, was also a place where an unregulated capitalism was letting rip, where speculation and profiteering ran riot, displacing many of the old certainties of life. Ben jonsons plays and masques norton critical edition, 1st ed. Wasteful economy in ben jonsons comedy volpone, or the fox 1606. First performed in 1610 by the kings men, it is generally considered jonsons best and most characteristic comedy. The date of the masques performance at the english court has long been in dispute. In contrast to many previous readings that have interpreted the play in terms derived from later liberal and marxist economic thinking, this article analyses the theme of luxury in relation to contemporary. Director trevor nunn explains the background and story of ben jonsons play volpone.
Other texts included bartholomew fair 1963, sejanus 1965, every man in 1969, the masques 1969, 1970, epicene 1972, and the alchemist 1974. Benjamin jonson was a renaissance dramatist, poet, and actor, known best for his satirical plays and lyric poems. This edition brings together jonsons four great comedies volpone, epicene, the alchemist, and bartholomew fair. Volpones song to celia aubrey beardsleys front cover to volpone this weeks poem is from volpone, by ben jonson, a biting, hilarious satire set in venice about a man undone by his own greed and lust, who undoes a good many others in the process and has some rather wicked fun on the way though not as much as he intends. Richard dutton is editing jonsons comedy volpone for the forthcoming modernized sixvolume cambridge ben jonson. By using its peculiar viability as a forum for his dramatic imagination, jonson resolved and transcended the satiric vision that was in many ways the. An anthology of great plays from aeschylus to hebbel by philo m. The comedy, as written, cannot be performed under three and a half hours. In other words, ben jonsons volpone, like those love sonnets we read a couple of weeks ago, and like the devotional poetry we read last week, is all about desire. Ben jonson, volpone and the gunpowder plot, by richard dutton. Pageants keele university press, 1995, and ben jonson.
Jonson set volpone in venice, a great and wealthy trading city known as much for the doubledealing of its merchants as for the faithlessness of its women. Ben jonson was born by name of benjamin jonson in london on june 11th, 1572, two months after his father died. First performed in 1610 by the kings men, it is generally considered jonson s best and most characteristic comedy. Jonson carefully studied the metrical structure of the pindaric ode, but the only direct echo of pindar in his writings is to be found in the opening lines of volpone ben jonson, ed. Swan theatre, stratforduponavon 3 july 12 sept 2015. Benjamin jonson was an english renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. Jacobean comedy and the art of the mediating trickster alizon brunning.
Ben jonson 15721637 ben jonson was an english stuart dramatist, lyric poet, and literary critic. Volpone was first brought out at the globe theatre in 1605 and printed in quarto in 1607, after having been acted with great applause at both universities, and was republished by jonson in 1616 without alterations or additions. Andrew dickson recounts jonsons eventful life, and how his success was often marred by a difficult relationship with alcohol, with fellow playwrights and actors, and with theatre itself. In court, the comedy twists tighter when mosca proceeds with his cunning ideas by having corvino and corbaccio testify against celia and bonario. Volpone italian for sly fox is a comedy play by english playwright ben jonson first produced in 16051606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable.
Mercury, and to horace and to volpone and hosea and. Social criticism in ben jonsons volpone english literature essay. Volpone, or the fox, does not contain the traditional moral and broad themes of shakespeare. Ben jonson 11721637 dedicated volpone to the most noble and most equal sisters, the two famous universities. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains jonsons mostperformed play, and it is ranked among the finest jacobean era comedies.
Volpone and mosca are the two principal characters in ben jonsons comedy volpone. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. A contemporary of william shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly volpone, the alchemist, and bartholomew fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems. Fortunately, scene one is not representative of the play, and i had little difficulty thereafter with either the plot or the humor. Ben jonson was a master of this genre and his most famous comedy, volpone or the fox 1606, dealt with the contested issue of luxury. The renaissance court masque, traditionally an entertainment of music, dancing, pageantry, and spectacular scenic effects, was transformed by ben jonson into a serious mode of literary expression. Jul 28, 2015 director trevor nunn explains the background and story of ben jonson s play volpone. Pdf volpone and the alchemist download full pdf book. It was produced successfully at the globe and at oxford and cambridge tlniversities in 1606. Literary scholarship on ben jonson has recently taken two turns.
Jonson focused on creating works that implemented elements of the realistic as well as the absurd. Samuel taylor coleridge considered it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature. Slights calls jonsons volpone a comic satire about conspiracy. The printing and publishing of ben jonsons works the.
Pdf volpone and the alchemist download full pdf book download. Maus, idol and gift in volpone, english literary renaissance 35. Department of english, and university of toronto press as samuel johnson 17091784. Mosca plots with voltores assistance, how to get volpone out of this mess.
Learn more about the actions yale university press is taking. Professor kernan offers his own interpretation, in a critical introduction that fully exploits the rich imagery, intricate plot development, and skillful delineation of character. Drama, inheritance and succession, extortion, english drama, alchemists, city and town life. The alchemist and other plays paperback ben jonson. Although he did not achieve much success with his tragedies, ben jonson became very wellknown for his comedies. Ben jonsons volpone, or the fox, 1988 online research. Publication date 1919 publisher yale university press collection americana digitizing sponsor. Jonsons most performed play, and the one that sparked a period of great success for the playwright, is volpone, or the fox. He is generally regarded as the second most important english dramatist, after william shakespeare. Creating female authorship in the early seventeenth century. The alchemist is a comedy by english playwright ben jonson. Ben jonsons plays and masques norton critical edition, 2nd ed. I will argue that the play depicts the main character volpones taste for luxury and the way he acquires it as.
Ben jonson s plays and masques norton critical edition, 1st ed. The complete masques edited by stephen orgel new haven and london. In this study of ben jonsons most popular play, richard dutton sets out to demonstrate that the author, while acting within the constraints of contemporary censorship, nevertheless managed to comment on the plight of his fellow catholics after the gunpowder plot, and on his own complex and unequal relationship with james is chief minister, robert cecil, earl of salisbury. Volpone, or the fox, is one of jonsons most popular plays and through the years has been a favorite of both theatergoers and readers.
This edition brings together jonson s four great comedies volpone, epicene, the alchemist, and bartholomew fair. Volpone and mosca are the two principal characters in ben jonson s comedy volpone. Volpone, or the fox by ben jonson, alvin kernan yale university. Ben jonson, volpone and the gunpowder plot the english. Outside, someone knocks on the door, and volpone ends the song and tells nano, castrone, and androgyno to exit. Unlike shakespeare, ben jonsons characters seldom reflect on their motivations in soliloquies or insightful dialogue. Pans anniversary, or the shepherds holiday was a jacobean era masque, written by ben jonson and designed by inigo jones. Ben jonson parodies the material age of gold referring to the golden age from greek mythology. Ben jonson was born by name of benjamin jonson in london. Synopsis volpone royal shakespeare company youtube. Or, the fox by ben jonson dramatis personae volpone, a magnifico castrone, an eunuch mosca, his parasite androgyno, an hermaphrodite voltore, an advocate grege or mob corbaccio an old gentleman commandadori, officers of justice corvino, a merchant avocatori, three magistrates bonario, son to corbaccio notario, the register.
Jan 01, 2011 ben jonson, volpone and the gunpowder plot, by richard dutton. Apparently jonson knew his scholars well, as volpone was wellreceived at both universities. Rising action summary volpone is a rich childless venetian. Unlike shakespeare, ben jonson s characters seldom reflect on their motivations in soliloquies or insightful dialogue. Both characters are devious, witty, and sly, but volpone is the mastermind of the pairs crafty plots, while mosca. Yale university press began its yale ben jonson series of selected plays in 1962 with an edition of volpone edited by alvin kernan. Jonson s most performed play, and the one that sparked a period of great success for the playwright, is volpone, or the fox. Volpone, which is part of his mature comedies, or second period, is his most significant and mostperformed play.