Volpone: The Fox

Name: Volpone: The Fox
Author: Ben Jonson
ISBN: 9781787367302

Author: Ben Jonson
Language: English
Length: 278 pages
ISBN: 9781787367302
Published: 20 August 2023
Imprint: Sovereign

Comedy
Satire
Greed
Deception
Transformation
London
Alchemy
Con artists
Wealth
Ambition

All titles

Description

"Volpone: The Fox" is a satirical comedy by Ben Jonson. Volpone, a cunning and wealthy Venetian, pretends to be on his deathbed, enticing greedy acquaintances to offer him gifts in hopes of becoming his heir. Through this ruse, Volpone amasses wealth while toying with the aspirations of those around him. As the web of deception grows, absurd situations, mistaken identities, and comedic chaos ensue. Jonson's play critiques human greed and societal vices, exploring the consequences of unchecked ambition and the lengths people will go to attain material gain.

Author

Ben Jonson (1572–1637) was the great comic dramatist of Shakespeare's age — a poet of city intrigue, gullibility, and verbal fireworks. The Alchemist, Volpone, and Every Man in His Humour made London itself a stage of schemes and comeuppance. Scholar, satirist, and masque-maker to the court, Jonson wrote classical comedy with a street ear. His seven titles here open a door into Jacobean theatre at its sharpest and funniest.

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