Page 209 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

Unit 16: Volpone: Satire and all its Detailed Analysis and Comedy

merchants come in, they walk around the room; Peregrine “informs” them that he is a merchant, Notes
come to look upon a tortoise (actually Sir Pol hidden in a wine cask). The merchants express awe at
the tortoise, and Peregrine/the Merchant tells them that the tortoise is strong enough for them to
jump on. So they do. They then ask if the tortoise can move, and Peregrine informs them yes. So the
tortoise does, and they remark that the tortoise has garters and gloves on. Pulling off the tortoise
shell, they reveal Sir Politic. After laughing at his expense, Peregrine claims that he and Sir Politic
are even, and apologizes for the burning of the knight’s papers that resulted from the joke. The
merchants and Peregrine all leave Sir Politic to wallow in his own humiliation and self-pity. The
abused Englishman asks his servant where Lady Politic is; she tells him that she has decided that
she wishes to return home, for her health. Sir Politic whole-heartedly concurs with his wife’s plans.

Analysis
Peregrine’s final scene with Sir Politic is in one sense pure farce, intended to make us laugh. But it
also foreshadows more serious events about to occur in the play’s main plot, events central to the
play’s moral satire and didactic purpose. Sir Politic disguises himself in front of the Mercatori, just
as Volpone will disguise himself in front of the Avocatori during the final scene. Politic’s “unveiling”
to the Mercatori will be echoed in Volpone’s own unveiling. And both characters are the victims of
an ironic reversal of fortune; whereas Volpone is disinherited by the same trickery he used to
disinherit others, Politic will now become “talk for ordinaries,” the butt of one of the many gossipy
tales he himself is so fond of telling. Whereas Volpone disguises himself as a commandadore, Politic
disguises himself as a tortoise; as we know Jonson likes to identify characters with animals, the
choice of tortoise here seems particularly apt, being a slow, dim-witted animal, not nearly as attractive
as a Fox. And whereas Volpone will manage a Pyrrhic victory by exposing Mosca’s deception,
Politic is merely jumped upon and abused by the Mercatori. Peregrine plays a parallel role to Mosca
in the subplot, turning Sir Politic’s machinations against himself; but Peregrine is portrayed
sympathetically. Whereas Mosca is eventually shamed in front of the Mercatori, and made to pay
the harshest punishment than that handed out to Volpone. Politic’s situation is a farce, however,
both because of the complete loss of dignity and humiliation to which he is subjected, and the fact
that this loss of dignity is not in any real way harmful. But this is appropriate; in fact, if it results in
him leaving Venice, it may very well be beneficial for him. Volpone’s will not be so lucky; Jonson’s
satire will be much more harsh with him, his tone more severe. We can see that this is appropriate;
Sir Politic has not, in fact, done harm to anyone, whereas Volpone has endangered the lives of two
innocent people.
This scene also identifies Politic’s place within the beast-fable that has been an undertone throughout
the play. If we remember from Act One, we have a Fox (Volpone), circled by a Fly (Mosca), and
three carrion birds—the vulture (Voltore), the crow (Corvino) and the raven (Corbaccio). Politic, on
the other hand, is a tortoise: a slow, dim-witted animal who carries its house on its back. Similarly,
Politic is dim-witted, slow and English, no matter how hard he tries to be Venetian. He is thus a
symbol of someone out of his element; amongst the cunning and carnivorous creatures of the main
plot, the tortoise is no match, and will eventually retreat back into its shell, as Sir Politic seems
ready to do at the end of the play. Thus, though Sir Politic is an object of fun, he is also an object of
sympathy, especially for the English audiences of the play. Contrast this to the treatment the Venetians
Volpone and Mosca will receive, and we begin to suspect that Sir Politic’s “English-ness” gives him
a preferential status; as the character the audience probably identifies most closely with (by virtue
of his nationality), he is portrayed as something of an innocent; it is the foreigners who are viewed
as intentionally evil, and worthy of punishment.

16.6.5 Scenes V-IX

The scene is now Volpone’s house. Mosca and Volpone enter; Mosca is dressed as a clarissimo, or
great nobleman, and Volpone wears a commandadore’s (sergeant’s) uniform. They briefly discuss

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 203