Volpone — Ben Jonson

Volpone, Or, The Fox, New Edition by Ben Jonson - Volpone (Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is among the finest Jacobean Era comedies. Volpone is a Venetian gentleman who pretends to be on his deathbed, after a long illness, in order to dupe Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino, three men who aspire to inherit his fortune. In their turns, each man arrives to Volpone's house bearing a luxurious gift, intent upon having his name inscribed to the will of Volpone, as his heir. Mosca, Volpone's parasite servant, encourages each man, Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino, to believe that he has been named heir to Volpone's fortune; in the course of which, Mosca persuades Corbaccio to disinherit his own son in favour of Volpone. To Volpone, Mosca mentions that Corvino has a beautiful wife, Celia. Disguised as Scoto the Mountebank, Volpone goes to see Celia. Corvino drives away Scoto (Volpone), who then becomes insistent that he must possess Celia as his own. Mosca deceives Corvino into believing that the moribund Volpone requires sexual congress with a young woman in order to revive and rise from his deathbed. The cupidity of Corvino leads him to offer Celia, his wife, in order to please Volpone's voluptuousness, and so become his heir.