Volpone, or The Fox "Annotated Edition"

By Ben Jonson

Volpone is a Venetian gentleman who pretends to be on his deathbed after a long illness in order to dupe Voltore, Corbaccio and Corvino, three men who aspire to inherit his fortune. In their turns, each man arrives to Volpone's house bearing a luxurious gift, intent upon having his name inscribed to the will of Volpone, as his heir. Mosca, Volpone's parasite servant, encourages each man, Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino, to believe that he has been named heir to Volpone's fortune; in the course of which, Mosca persuades Corbaccio to disinherit his own son in favour of Volpone.To Volpone, Mosca mentions that Corvino has a beautiful wife, Celia. Disguised as Scoto the Mountebank, Volpone goes to see Celia. Corvino drives away "Scoto", who then becomes insistent that he must possess Celia as his own. Mosca deceives Corvino into believing that the moribund Volpone will be cured of his illness if he lies in bed beside a young woman. Believing that Volpone has been rendered impotent by his illness, Corvino offers his wife in order that, when he is revived, Volpone will recognise Corvino as his sole heir.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09328MDXF
• ISBN13: 9798741525531
• Release Date: April 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Each version and edition reveals new facets.

I came upon this play and Ben Jonson by the back door. I was watching a movie titled "The Honey Pot" (1967) with Rex Harrison. His character, Cecil Fox, after observing this play, Volpone, which was first performed in 1606 at the Globe Theatre in London, used the outline for his purposes. So naturally, I must read the play to see what the movie is mimicking. I have several copies of "Volpone" (the fox) to compare information on Ben. This is a review of the "New Mermaids Series." I have several of their series. They give you all the background information and any annotations needed. They make the information interesting enough that you feel that Ben Jonson is in the room with you. I am sure some people would not want to be in the same room. I was surprised to find that William Shakespeare acted in some of Ben's plays. The play is well-written and has many levels to it. If it did not have so many footnotes, I would be in trouble. It reads like an English play, yet has parts that would make Stephen King blush. Any version is better than none.