Discuss “Volpone” as a satire on the contemporary English society.

Answer

“Volpone’ is a satire on the contemporary English society”—Elucidate. 

Or, Discuss “Volpone” as a satire on the contemporary English society. 

Satire is a form of writing that uses humour, irony, and exaggeration. It shows the foolishness or bad behaviour of people or society. The main goal of satire is to correct wrongs by making people laugh. “Volpone” (1606) is a powerful satire. It uses humour, irony, and clever tricks to attack greed, foolishness, and corruption in society. Ben Jonson (1572-1637) uses different characters and events to criticize society’s bad habits. Here, I will discuss how “Volpone” satirizes the contemporary English society. 

Greed for Money: The biggest problem shown in the play is greed. Almost every character wants more money. They are always ready to do anything to get more money. Volpone pretends that he is very sick and about to die. This is just a part of his scam to loot the legacy-hunters: Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino. These greedy people bring expensive gifts for Volpone to impress him, to be his heir after his death. Moreover, Corbaccio disinherits his own son to get Volpone’s favor, and Corvino sends his wife to Volpone’s bed. Here, Jonson is showing that in his society, people care more about money than love, honesty, or family. Ironically, Volpone himself mocks the greed of others:

“What a rare punishment is avarice to itself!”

Corrupt Lawyers and Courts: Voltore is a lawyer, but he does not care about justice. Volpone tries to rape Celia. But Voltore lies in court against innocent Celia to help Volpone and Mosca. He does this to get Volpone’s favour. Ben Jonson is showing that many lawyers in his time used the law to help the rich and powerful. The whole court scene in the play makes it clear that it is to fool judges when people lie with confidence. In this way, Jonson is mocking the English legal system (law system) of his time.

Foolish Flattery: Jonson also satirizes the foolish flattery