I saw the play performed in london several years ago, and loved it.
Volpone Study Guide
Volpone study guide contains a biography of Ben Jonson, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Volpone, wealthy and childless, is a con artist who attracts legacy hunters by pretending to be on the verge of death. Volpone's "clients" - including Corvino, Corbaccio, Voltore, and Lady Would-be Politic - bring him presents in the hopes of being included in his will. At the opening of the play, Volpone delivers a soliloquy in which he literally worships his gold while his servant Mosca, often called his Parasite, flits around and periodically interrupts him with flattery. Nano, Castrone, and Androgyno - Volpone's buffoons - enter and perform a skit which gives a sarcastic account of the transmigration of Pythagoras's soul. The entrance of Voltore, a lawyer, dispatches the buffoons. Voltore brings an antique plate and is told he will be…
Read the full Volpone Summary
- Volpone Summary
- About Volpone
- Character List
- Glossary of Terms
- Major Themes
- Summary and Analysis of the Epistle
- Summary and Analysis of the Argument and the Prologue
- Summary and Analysis of Act One
- Summary and Analysis of Act Two
- Summary and Analysis of Act Three
- Summary and Analysis of Act Four
- Summary and Analysis of Act Five
- Relationship with Shakespeare
- Related Links on Volpone
- Suggested Essay Questions
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
- Author of ClassicNote and Sources
