Ben Jonson uses these characters' names to address the qualities animals possess. His animalization of the characters is symbolic.

1. Volpone
Symbols (Animalization)
ENG 232: English Drama from Marlowe to Congreve
Presented by:
Gobindo Deb
Lecturer
Department of English
Hamdard University Bangladesh

2. Symbols in Volpone
 Disease
- Presented by Volpone.
-Immorality though presented in comedic way
-Darkest site of Volpone is exposed through this symbolic job to pretend
to be ill.
-Spiritual disease
- Volpone uses imaginary disease to his advantage, symbolizing his loss
of morality.

3. Symbols in Volpone
 Venice (setting of the drama)
- Greed
- Stereotypical view of Venetians as gluttonous, amoral, sensual, and
corrupt
- Presented by Volpone, Mosca, Voltore, Corvino, Corbaccio, Sir Politic
Would be

4. Symbols in Volpone
 Animalization
- To show how inhumanly human treats one another like animals.
- Classical animal fable ( A cunning fox circled with three birds of prey out of
a meal)
- Volpone- Fox
- Mosca-fly (parasite)
- Corvino (Crow)
- Corbaccio (Raven)
- Voltore (Vulture)
On the contrary Jonson gives other celestial names : Bonario, Celia

5. Thank You

6. Animal Fables
• In traditional animal fables, the trickster fox cheats the birds of prey out of the next meal, and in Volpone, the
trickster cheats the legacy-hunters out of their fortune. In the food chain of the animal kingdom, the mammal
would die, the carrion birds would feast on the carcass, and the insects would devour what was left. The
"trick" of the play seems to be set up the same way: Volpone would die, the legacy-hunters would fight for his
fortune, and Mosca would be left with whatever scraps the victor chose to throw him. But this natural order is
turned upside down by the characters' unnatural greed. From the beginning, Volpone dupes the legacy-
hunters, but when he greedily binges on the pleasure of their suffering, he makes himself vulnerable to
Mosca's attack. Sensing an opportunity to feast on the entire carcass himself, the fly usurps the carrion birds.
In doing so, the natural order is so destroyed that Volpone confesses everything, leaving everyone open to the
court's harsh punishment.