Customer Reviews

Volpone and Other Plays (Penguin Classics)

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I came upon this play and Ben Jonson by the back door. I was watching a movie titled "The Honey Pot" with Rex Harrison. His character Cecil Fox after observing this play used the outline for his own purposes. So naturally I have to read the play to see what the movie is mimicking.

I have several copies of "Valpone" (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 annotation 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.

The title play of this collection, 'Volpone' is Jonson's most famous play. It is fierce exploration of human greed. Volpone is a great miser who plans to make a bundle by pretending that he is dying , and receiving gifts from his friends who he promises to bequeath his legacy to. His fellow collaborator is his servant Mosca( The fly) who in the end turns against Volpone and tries to , after allegedly inheriting Volpone's wealth, keep him dead. The result of his action is disaster for all parties concerned.
Jonson's strength is in making us laugh at human folly. However his language is difficult and his jaundiced view of character gives, for me anyway , less than full satisfaction.