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

dispossessed by “a parasite! A slave!,” talking to himself as he walks along the street, seemingly Notes
obsessed by it, almost driven to insanity. It is symbolized by Volpone’s own decision to effectively
trade in his identity as a nobleman for one as a commandadore, all for the sake of the pleasure of
taunting someone for having failed to inherit an estate-ironic (situationally), because he loses that
very same estate in the process. In the Elizabethan world-view, the social order embodied in the
class system is fundamentally linked to the order of the universe, making any destablization in the
class system profoundly disturbing and in need of rectification. But the attitude of the play towards
class more complex and potentially contradictory; after all, the people mainly upset by Mosca’s
inheritance are the legacy hunters, who are morally dubious; and Mosca behaves no differently
than any of the characters of a higher class level than him. In short, it is difficult to determine
whether Jonson endorses the Elizabethan idea of class, or actually criticizes it. Further indications
will be given in the play’s final scenes; an essay written on this question would be a challenging but
interesting one.

16.6.6 Scenes X-XII
The scene now shifts to the Scrutineo. The four judges, the notary, the guards, Bonario, Celia, Corvino
and Corbaccio enter; we are witnessing the sentencing hearing for Bonario and Celia. As the judges
prepare to declare the sentence, Voltore and Volpone enter, Voltore driven to distraction by Volpone’s
teasing. He demands forgiveness from the judges, and from the “innocents” Bonario and Celia. He
then begins to confess to the deceit that he and Mosca engineered earlier that day. Corvino interrupts
him, asking the judges to ignore Voltore, claiming that the lawyer acts out of pure jealousy over the
fact that Mosca has inherited Volpone’s fortune, now that Volpone is dead. Volpone’s “death” takes
the judges by surprise. Voltore insists that he is telling the truth, and hands over what seems to be
a handwritten confession to the judges. The judges decide to send for Mosca, but cautiously, since
they now believe that he may be Volpone’s heir, and to insult would be a grave offence.

Scene XI

Volpone paces to and fro on the street. He realizes that his gloating has resulted in Voltore’s
confession. He curses himself for his “wantonness,” his obsessive need to seek pleasure in everything,
and hopes aloud that Mosca will help him out of this mess. He runs into Nano, Androgyno and
Castrone, who tell him that Mosca told them to go play outside, and took the keys to the estate.
Volpone begins to realize that Mosca may be looking to keep the estate for himself, and again curses
his foolishness; he decides that he must try to must give Voltore “new hopes,” in other words
convince the lawyer that he could still inherit the estate, because Volpone is still alive.

Scene XII

Back at the Scrutineo, the judges are thoroughly confused. Voltore and Celia maintain that Voltore
is telling the truth, while Corvino continues to insist that Voltore is possessed by a demon. Volpone,
still in diguise, enters, and informs the judges that the parasite (Mosca) will soon arrive, before
turning to whisper in Voltore’s ear. He tells Voltore that Mosca has informed him (the guard Volpone
pretends to be) that Volpone still lives, and that the faked death was a test to determine Voltore’s
resolve; Voltore realizes with chagrin that he has failed. But Volpone suggests that if Voltore
corroborates Corvino’s contention that he is possessed by falling to the ground and writhing on the
floor, he may yet prove his loyalty; Voltore complies immediately. Volpone tells everyone to stand
back, and ask them if they see the demon flying out of Voltore’s mouth (there is, of course, no
demon; it is another one of Volpone’s tricks). Voltore then asks “Where am I?,” and claims that,
though his confession is written in his handwriting, the contents of it are false. According to Voltore
post-collapse, Mosca is just as innocent as Volpone—who, the lawyer goes on to assert, is not dead.

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