Volpone

Mosca is one of the play’s main characters and Volpone’s sidekick. In Italian, his name means “fly.” Mosca is described in the character list as Volpone’s “parasite,” meaning that he derives his living from his relationship with this wealthier and higher ranking person. Mosca isn’t officially employed as a servant like the fools—Nano, Castrone, and Androgino—but he still must do Volpone’s bidding to stay in his good graces. Mosca and Volpone’s relationship starts out strong and full of camaraderie, and Mosca enjoys his deceptive work for his patron. Mosca’s satisfaction in his subservient position becomes complicated as Volpone’s increasingly risky requests put them in danger of discovery.

Although Mosca self-identifies as a parasite, he sees himself in a superior position to others who claim the same role. Mosca looks down on others who use base flatteries only “to please the belly and the groin” (3.1.19). He considers his more sophisticated scheming an art form—one he carries out for the beauty and pleasure he finds in it and not simply for material gain. His complex cunning requires him to “present to any humor, all occasion; / And change a visor swifter than a thought” (3.1.28-29). Mosca has an adaptability that these other parasites do not, which he employs for more elaborate schemes. Mosca sees his flexibility as an innate skill, and he thinks possessing such a talent makes him worthy of a higher social rank. Mosca’s adaptability is reflected in his quick wit and intelligence. He can easily make excuses when the suitors question inconsistencies in his fibs, and he adapts his flatteries to each suitor’s personality and desires. Like his master, Mosca has such a keen appreciation for persuasive skill that he briefly has a change of heart about scamming Voltore because he admires the man’s persuasive speech in the courtroom.

Within Volpone’s scheme, Mosca has the most freedom of movement, and he gains independence in the plotting. Where he starts the day simply ushering the suitors in and out of Volpone’s house, he soon visits Corvino’s house, secretly brings Bonario to Volpone’s house, and concocts a lie with the suitors to trick the court—all without Volpone’s input. Mosca’s success without Volpone boosts his self-confidence and contributes to his decision to betray Volpone. With a fortune of his own, which he tries to extort from Volpone, Mosca hopes to become independent of his patron. However, Mosca’s hubris in his untouchability leads to his downfall, as he fatally underestimates the stubbornness of his master’s avarice.

Voltore, whose name means “vulture,” is a minor character and the first suitor for Volpone’s fortune. Voltore is a stereotypical corrupt lawyer. He is masterful with language, but instead of using this skill for good, he uses it to deceive the court and to bribe his way into Volpone’s will. As a crooked lawyer, Voltore’s loyalty can be bought. Bonario compares the man to a mercenary, since he is willing to align himself with whoever pays him the most. Since Mosca promises to give him Volpone’s whole fortune, Voltore happily fights for the innocent Celia and Bonario’s conviction. Voltore takes pleasure in his skill at linguistic deception, so much so that Mosca—recognizing a fellow artist—believes Voltore gleefully argued the false testimony “[o]ut of pure love [of the art of deception], no hope of gain” (5.2.53).

Unlike the other suitors, Voltore has a small moment of character growth in the play. Volpone’s torments provoke Voltore’s guilty conscience, and he feels ashamed for condemning the innocents to prison. His change of heart proves short-lived, however, when the opportunity for fortune arises again. Like the other suitors, Voltore’s greed is so thorough that it leaves him vulnerable to Volpone and Mosca’s continued manipulation, even when the schemes—like floundering about as if possessed by the devil—are utterly ridiculous. The court punishes Voltore’s abuse of his profession by disbarring him and exiling him from Venice.

The elderly gentleman Corbaccio is a minor, static character and the second suitor for Volpone’s fortune. His name is an Italian word for “crow” or “raven,” making it synonymous with the name of another character, the merchant Corvino. While corvo is the standard Italian word for “crow”—with the diminutive corvino meaning “little crow”—corbaccio is a less common word with pejorative connotations, thought to have originated with Giovanni Bocaccio’s 14th-century work, Il Corbaccio (typically translated as The Crow). The character Corbaccio is much older than Volpone and is hard of hearing. Corbaccio is so old that Mosca describes him as “half dust already” (4.3.14). Corbaccio’s deafness produces a comedic effect in the play by creating misunderstandings between himself and others. Mosca and Volpone see through Corbaccio’s faulty self-image, which allows them to introduce the disinheritance plot. Corbaccio “feigns himself / Younger by scores of years” (1.4.154), which makes him believe he has enough life left to disinherit his son, let Volpone die, inherit Volpone’s fortune, reinstate his son as heir, and pass on the doubled fortune. Corbaccio offers to poison Volpone so can get his inheritance, which demonstrates the extent of the old man’s depravity. The Avvocati punish Corbaccio by forcing him to confront his age and use his remaining life to reflect on his sins.

The merchant Corvino, whose name means “little crow,” is a minor, static character and the third suitor for Volpone’s fortune. Corvino is the most insecure about his position as heir. He continually worries that one of the other men will overtake him, particularly Voltore, whose role as Volpone’s advocate makes Corvino fear “his pleading / Should make him stand for co-heir” (4.4.9-10). Mosca and Volpone easily manipulate Corvino’s insecurities and pit him against the other men so he will feel compelled to do what they say. Apart from his greed, Corvino’s fear of ruining his reputation motivates his actions.

Corvino is Celia’s husband. Their relationship is defined by Corvino’s jealousy, changeability, and control. Corvino keeps Celia locked in his house because he thinks her beauty makes her susceptible to infidelity. Corvino is quick to anger, so when Celia disobeys him, he flies into wrathful furies and hurls violent threats at her. Only his overpowering greed can cool his temper and jealousy. Corvino’s long, jealous tirades appear hypocritical when he willingly agrees to let Volpone sleep with Celia and desperately tries to sway her to commit the act. His greed is such that, in an attempt to gain Volpone’s fortune, he even publicly accuses Celia of having an affair, despite his earlier professed fear of being known as a cuckold. Despite his efforts, Corvino’s greatest fear comes true when he is sentenced to a parade of public humiliation and to having Celia leave him.

Sir Politic Would-Be is a minor but complex character who is part of the play’s subplot. Sir Politic is an English knight living in Venice at the behest of his wife, Lady Would-Be. Sir Politic introduces himself as a “poor knight” (2.1.26). Eager to attain wealth and social status as quickly as possible, he develops outlandish entrepreneurial and diplomatic schemes. Sir Politic has an inflated sense of self-importance and considers himself a critical player in European statesmanship. He likes to be kept up to date on matters of state, and he keeps a diary to “note [his] actions of the day” (4.1.134), no matter how mundane, thinking them useful for politics. Sir Politic’s arrogance leads him to take Peregrine’s sarcastic comments at face value, as he is completely convinced of his constructed persona.

Sir Politic believes himself to be a skilled observer who can easily ferret out treacherous plots. He imagines that he must always be watchful because everyone is either a crook or a spy. His paranoia is so extreme that he comes off as superstitious. Although he declares the importance of keeping secrets from strangers, Sir Politic endlessly talks about himself, his principles, and his ideas to his new acquaintance, Peregrine.

Sir Politic’s conversations with Peregrine make up the play’s subplot, which focuses entirely on Sir Politic’s absurdity and Peregrine’s incredulity that such a person could exist. Ben Jonson exaggerates Sir Politic’s negative qualities for the purpose of satire, and the knight’s characterization increases in ridiculousness throughout the play, culminating in a moment of farcical physical comedy in which Sir Politic disguises himself as a tortoise to evade arrest. Sir Politic’s conflict with Peregrine resolves after Peregrine plays this trick on him and Sir Politic leaves Venice out of embarrassment.

The Fine Lady Would-Be is a minor character Jonson uses for comic relief and satire. Lady Would-Be is and Englishwoman and the wife of Sir Politic Would-Be. The two live in Venice, which she chose because of its fashionable status. Lady Would-Be is vain and tries desperately to fit in with Venetian women. Jonson ironically has Lady Would-Be wear an over-the-top costume and has her made up with a bright red nose. Lady Would-Be has two women servants who follow her around with the main purpose of touching up her appearance.

Lady Would-Be is extremely talkative, so much so that Volpone dreads her visits. She is educated in “all letters and arts” (3.4.70) and thus sprinkles her conversation with literary and philosophical allusions. Lady Would-Be thinks her learning makes her an equal to Volpone, whom she familiarly calls “my Volp” (3.4.39). However, Volpone sees her discussion as simply a “flood of words” (3.4.64) with no meaning. Jonson’s mockery of this trait solidifies in the lady’s appearance at court, as her verbose apology to the Avvocati plays as comedic rather than sincere.

Lady Would-Be, unlike most women of her time—including Celia, the only other woman in the play—has the agency to roam Venice on her own and is usually seen without her husband. Jonson implies that Lady Would-Be’s freedom includes sexual freedom, and many of her lines have subtle sexual connotations, like when she appeals to Peregrine that “If you stay / In Venice here, please you to use me, sir” (4.3.15-16). Mosca explicitly states Lady Would-Be’s connection to the Venetian courtesans when he reveals she offered him sexual favors in exchange for being put in the will. Mosca discloses this fact in front of Volpone’s other suitors, and the blow to Lady Would-Be’s noble self-image compels her to leave Venice.

Celia is a minor symbolic character whose virtuousness acts as a foil to all the other corrupt characters. Celia is Corvino’s wife who, because of her beauty and her husband’s jealousy, lives in seclusion. Mosca describes her as “The blazing star of Italy! A wench / O’ the first year! A beauty ripe as harvest!” (1.5.109-110). Celia doesn’t revel in her outward appearance like Lady Would-Be. Rather, she calls it “that unhappy crime of nature” (3.7.251) because, to her thinking, her beauty is the cause of Corvino and Volpone’s sins.

Celia, as a symbolic character, represents piety and innocence. She only leaves her seclusion to visit the church, and nearly all her lines include allusions to her religiosity. She places her religious devotion above her obedience to her husband, evidenced in her refusal of Corvino’s order to sleep with Volpone. She knows the deed is a mortal sin and would rather be punished by her husband in this world than by God in the next. However, her extreme piety and innocence works in Volpone’s favor in the court, as Voltore uses her swooning and tears as evidence of her deception. Jonson slightly criticizes the extent of Celia’s piety when, after asking for merciful punishments for the guilty men, the Avvocati respond, “You hurt your innocence, suing for the guilty” (5.12.106). The play rewards Celia’s virtuousness with a separation from her husband and her dowry tripled.

Bonario, like Celia, is a minor symbolic character who represents honor and justice. Bonario—whose name means “good-natured”—is the son of Corbaccio and therefore a gentleman, but his status is threatened when Mosca makes Corbaccio disinherit him in favor of Volpone. Bonario has a reputation for being “fair and honest” (4.5.60), and Mosca describes him as “a son so brave, and highly meriting” (1.4.104). Bonario demonstrates the proof of this reputation when he comes to Celia’s rescue in Volpone’s house. Voltore, however, twists Bonario’s faultless reputation as he twisted Celia’s piety to make the Avvocati believe that he hides his vices behind a façade of virtue. Jonson uses Bonario’s honor as a plot device to bring Volpone before a court to face real consequences for his perpetual scheming. As a representative of justice, Bonario’s actions align with the scrutiny of a judge. He expresses skepticism at Mosca’s words, and, although he is moved by Mosca’s passion, he wants to see direct proof of the plot against him. In the courtroom, Bonario’s outbursts and observations draw attention to Voltore and Mosca’s corruption of the judicial process. The play rewards Bonario’s virtue with his rightful inheritance.