Page 226 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes consideration for making a great deal of money. They are soon interrupted by Lady Politic, who is
convinced that Peregrine is the prostitute Mosca told her about—admittedly, in disguise. But Mosca
arrives and tells Lady Politic that she is mistaken; the courtesan he referred to is now in front of the
Senate (in other words, Celia). Lady Politic believes him and ends by giving Peregrine a seductive
goodbye with a coy suggestion that they see each other again. Peregrine is incensed at her behavior
and vows revenge on Sir Politic because of it. The scene switches to the Scrutineo, the Venetian
Senate building, where Celia and Bonario have informed the judges of Venice about Volpone’s
deceit, Volpone’s attempt to rape Celia, Corbaccio’s disinheritance of his son, and Corvino’s decision
to prostitute his wife. But the defendants make a very good case for themselves, led by their lawyer,
Voltore. Voltore portrays Bonario and Celia as lovers, Corvino as an innocent jilted husband, and
Corbaccio as a wounded father nearly killed by his evil son. The judge are swayed when Lady
Politic comes in and (set-up perfectly by Mosca) identifies Celia as the seducer of her husband Sir
Politic. Further, they are convinced when Volpone enters the courtroom, again acting ill. The judges
order that Celia and Bonario be arrested and separated.

At the Scrutineo, Voltore, Corbaccio, Corvino, and Mosca get their story straight.
Though they side with Bonario and Celia at the opening of the case, the Avocatori eventually
align themselves with Voltore, who argues that Bonario committed adultery with Celia and
attempted to kill his father. Lady Would-be testifies that Celia seduced her husband. Bonario
and Celia have no witnesses of their own, so they lose the case.

17.2.5 Plot in Fifth Act

In the final act, Volpone returns home tired and worried that he is actually growing ill, for he is now
feeling some of the symptoms he has been faking. To dispel his fears, he decides to engage in one
final prank on the legacy hunters. He spreads a rumor that he has died and then tells Mosca to
pretend that he has been made his master’s heir. The plan goes off perfectly, and all three legacy
hunters are fooled. Volpone then disguises himself as a Venetian guard, so that he can gloat in each
legacy hunter’s face over their humiliation, without being recognized. But Mosca lets the audience
know that Volpone is dead in the eyes of the world and that Mosca will not let him “return to the
world of the living” unless Volpone pays up, giving Mosca a share of his wealth.
Meanwhile, Peregrine is in disguise himself, playing his own prank on Sir Politic. Peregrine presents
himself as a merchant to the knight and informs Politic that word has gotten out of his plan to sell
Venice to the Turks. Politic, who once mentioned the idea in jest, is terrified. When three merchants
who are in collusion with Peregrine knock on the door, Politic jumps into a tortoise-shell wine case
to save himself. Peregrine informs the merchants when they enter that he is looking at a valuable
tortoise. The merchants decide to jump on the tortoise and demand that it crawls along the floor.
They remark loudly upon its leg-garters and fine hand-gloves, before turning it over to reveal Sir
Politic. Peregrine and the merchants go off, laughing at their prank, and Sir Politic moans about
how much he agrees with his wife’s desire to leave Venice and go back to England.
Meanwhile, Volpone gloats in front of each legacy hunter, deriding them for having lost Volpone’s
inheritance to a parasite such as Mosca, and he successfully avoids recognition. But his plan backfires
nonetheless. Voltore, driven to such a state of distraction by Volpone’s teasing, decides to recant his
testimony in front of the Senate, implicating both himself but more importantly Mosca as a criminal.
Corvino accuses him of being a sore loser, upset that Mosca has inherited Volpone’s estate upon his
death, and the news of this death surprises the Senators greatly. Volpone nearly recovers from his
blunder by telling Voltore, in the middle of the Senate proceeding, that “Volpone” is still alive.
Mosca pretends to faint and claims to the Senate that he does not know where he is, how he got

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