Volpone by Ben Jonson was written in the Jacobean age. It imbibes the ethos of the age in being a commedia dell'arte, or a satire on social norms. Among the satirists of English literature, Alexander Pope occupies a great place. Satire is not an overt statement, and it does not come to an explicit verdict, but rather the critiqued behavior deconstructs itself within the satirical work by being obviously absurd, most often because it is exaggerated or taken out of its normal Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Volpone and what it means. Pope’s satire is intellectual and full of wit and epigram. You can find several good editions of "Volpone", either alone or in collections. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. ← He is quite familiar to literary scholars and English literature majors, but for most of us he remains in the shadow of Shakespeare. Both Pope and Swift used their considerable literary talents to illuminate contemporary society, forcing them to acknowledge the shortcomings of the Neoclassical period. Volpone is undoubtedly the finest comedy in the English language outside the works of Shakespeare. Read 168 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Pope had less of the mellow wisdom of Horace’s maturity and more of the filthy temper of his youth. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is ranked among the finest Jacobean era comedies. Volpone; Or, The Fox book. Shakespeare, for example, reworked an already rephrased English translation of an Italian story for his Romeo and Juliet (1595), which the Spanish playwright Lope de Vega retold as a tragicomedy in 1608. Ben Jonson was a talented playwright that had the historical misfortune to be a younger contemporary of Shakespeare. Volpone (Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable.A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is ranked among the finest Jacobean era comedies. He is quite familiar to literary scholars and English literature majors, but for most of us he remains in the shadow of Shakespeare. Consider The Rape of the Lock as a Social Satire. He belonged to the school of a juvenile. History of English Literature: English literature dates back exceeding five centuries.The literature not only represents authors or writers from almost every part of the world but also it had untapped almost every major genre of writings that one could possibly imagine. You can find several good editions of "Volpone", either alone or in collections. The greatest of English dramatists except Shakespeare, the first literary dictator and poet-laureate, a writer of verse, prose, satire, and criticism who most potently of all the men of his time affected the subsequent course of English letters: such was Ben Jonson, and as such his strong personality assumes an interest to us almost unparalleled, … Volpone Read More » Volpone is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 160506, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. Volpone Questions and Answers The Question and Answer sections of our study guides are a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss literature. Volpone, Ben Jonson, And it is quite true that no other poet or writer could depict the contemporary society so vastly and perfectly as Pope did and hence, he is regarded as the true representative poem of the 18th century English society. Volpone is a miser in that view that he praises and admires his fortune and tries to increase it in any way possible, even if the way is by deceiving, manipulating or exploiting other people, i. e. , gaining gold is one of his main goals in his life. The English Renaissance writers reworked classical, traditional and contemporary stories. - Volpone Volpone was first brought out at the Globe Theatre in 1605 and printed in quarto in 1607, after having been acted with great applause at both Universities, and was republished by Jonson in 1616 without alterations or additions. A summary of Act I, scene i in Ben Jonson's Volpone. Home Volpone Q & A I recommend "Volpone or, The Fox", edited by David Cook, and published by Routledge in London.