The themes of greed and deception are central to Ben Jonson’s Volpone. The former theme gets an early start in the play, in the first few lines itself, in fact, when Volpone speaks thus, “Good morning to the day, and, next, my gold! / Open the shrine, that I may see my saint”. He also asserts that with money and wealth, even hell is made worth heaven.
The other principal theme of deception is also prominently featured throughout the play. The plays various characters employ constant skullduggery and legerdemain, and this gives both the readers of the script and the audience the impression of unrelenting action.
Volpone contains many theatrical illusions such as playlets (plays within a play) that constantly illustrate these twin themes of greed and deception. We see this play out repeatedly every time Volpone and Mosca, his servant, playact for the benefit of the contenders for Volpone’s fortune – when Volpone dresses up and prepares for the visit of Voltore, the lawyer: using a special wardrobe for the occasion, applying ointment to the eyes to make them look tired, feigning a cough, etc.
We also witness it when Volpone seeks to see Celia for the first time, him dressed as and impersonating a virtuoso mountebank. Another time, we find Peregrine disguised as a merchant, going to Sir Politic’s house to tell the nobleman that the police are seeking him on charges of sedition.
In these and other ways, we constantly observe theatricality among the characters within the play.
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