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Volpone by Ben Jonson was written in the Jacobean age. It imbibes the ethos of the age in being a commedia dell'arte, or a satire on social norms. The Elizabethan age witnessed the peaceful settlement of conflict between the puritanical reformists, seeking to reform the Church of England, and the Catholics who placed the Pope on a high pedestal. The Elizabethan religious settlement, sought to maintain a careful balance between rigid religiosity and papal ascendency. Ben Jonson, writing in an era dominated by new religious interpretations, scientific discoveries and novel philosophical trends, wove some of these ideas into the plots of his plays. The dramatists in the Elizabethan age did not enjoy complete freedom of expression, as their works were subject to close scrutiny by the Master of Revels1.
Jonson's deep interest in classical literature is evident in the didactic appeal of his plays. Jonson's devotion to classics, led him to espouse the pedantic notion that comedies served a moralizing purpose. His comedies were modeled along the lines of Greek and Roman classics. Jonson's allegiance to classical models in drama, did not allow him to experiment with the form and genre of drama. His characters remained 'types', and did not develop as 'round characters', evolving through the complex course of the storyline. The characters in the drama function as 'types', true to their given nature, and their actions are predictable. The audience understands Jonson's characters with facility, without being confronted by the psychological predicaments of tragic heroes.
Ben Jonson was William Shakespeare's contemporary, yet Jonson's plays did not earn as much acclaim as Shakespeare's plays did. Jonson's works however were known for being original, whereas Shakespeare's plays were based on time-honoured classics and fables or drew inspiration from significant historical events. Volpone was published in 1605, which goes on to show that as a dramatist Jonson was rooted in the Elizabethan tradition, as well as in the early Jacobean age.
Volpone was meant 'to teach and to delight', evident in the names given to the characters. Jonson fuses animal and human traits, but accentuates the animal over the human and develops the storyline as a fable. The names are predominantly Italian in which Volpone, the main character stands for 'fox', Mosca, part-slave, part-servant, is the...