Page 225 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

Unit 17: Volpone: Characterization and Plot Construction and Sub-plots

leaves, Volpone and Mosca laugh at each’s gullibility. After Corvino’s departure Lady Politic Would- Notes
be, the wife of an English knight living in Venice, arrives at the house but is told to come back three
hours later. And Volpone decides that he will try to get a close look at Corvino’s wife, Celia, who
Mosca describes as one of the most beautiful women in all of Italy. She is kept under lock and key
by her husband, who has ten guards on her at all times, but Volpone vows to use disguise to get
around these barriers.

17.2.2 Plot in Second Act

The second act portrays a time just a short while later that day, and we meet Sir Politic Would-be,
Lady Politic’s husband, who is conversing with Peregrine, an young English traveler who has just
landed in Venice. Sir Politic takes a liking to the young boy and vows to teach him a thing or two
about Venice and Venetians; Peregrine, too, enjoys the company of Sir Politic, but only because he
is hilariously gullible and vain. The two are walking in the public square in front of Corvino’s
house and are interrupted by the arrival of “Scoto Mantua,” actually Volpone in diguise as an
Italian mountebank, or medicine-show man. Scoto engages in a long and colorful speech, hawking
his new “oil”, which is touted as a cure-all for disease and suffering. At the end of the speech, he
asks the crows to toss him their handkerchiefs, and Celia complies. Corvino arrives, just as she does
this, and flies into a jealous rage, scattering the crows in the square. Volpone goes home and complains
to Mosca that he is sick with lust for Celia, and Mosca vows to deliver her to Volpone. Meanwhile,
Corvino berates his wife for tossing her handkerchief, since he interprets it as a sign of her
unfaithfulness, and he threatens to murder her and her family as a result. He decrees that, as
punishment, she will now no longer be allowed to go to Church, she cannot stand near windows (as
she did when watching Volpone), and, most bizarrely, she must do everything backwards from
now on—she must even walk and speak backwards. Mosca then arrives, implying to Corvino that
if he lets Celia sleep with Volpone (as a “restorative” for Volpone’s failing health), then Volpone
will choose him as his heir. Suddenly, Corvino’s jealousy disappears, and he consents to the offer.

17.2.3 Plot in Third Act
The third act begins with a soliloquy from Mosca, indicating that he is growing increasingly conscious
of his power and his independence from Volpone. Mosca then runs into Bonario, Corbaccio’s son,
and informs the young man of his father’s plans to disinherit him. He has Bonario come back to
Volpone’s house with him, in order to watch Corbaccio sign the documents (hoping that Bonario
might kill Corbaccio then and there out of rage, thus allowing Volpone to gain his inheritance
early). Meanwhile Lady Politic again arrives at Volpone’s residence, indicating that it is now mid-
morning, approaching noon. This time, Volpone lets her in, but he soon regrets it, for he is exasperated
by her talkativeness. Mosca rescues Volpone by telling the Lady that Sir Politic has been seen in a
gondola with a courtesan (a high-class prostitute). Volpone then prepares for his seduction of Celia,
while Mosca hides Bonario in a corner of the bedroom, in anticipation of Corbaccio’s arrival. But
Celia and Corvino arrive first—Celia complains bitterly about being forced to be unfaithful, while
Corvino tells her to be quiet and do her job. When Celia and Volpone are alone together, Volpone
greatly surprises Celia by leaping out of bed. Celia had expected an old, infirm man, but what she
gets instead is a lothario who attempts to seduce her with a passionate speech. Always the good
Christian, Celia refuses Volpone’s advances, at which point Volpone says that he will rape her. But
Bonario, who has been witnessing the scene from his hiding place the entire time, rescues Celia.
Bonario wounds Mosca on his way out. Corbaccio finally arrives, too late, as does Voltore. Mosca
plots, with Voltore’s assistance, how to get Volpone out of this mess.

17.2.4 Plot in Fourth Act

A short while later, in the early afternoon, Peregrine and Sir Politic are still talking. Sir Politic gives
the young traveler some advice on living in Venice and describes several schemes he has under

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