Volpone is a morality play

Volpone is one of the finest works of Ben Jonson, and it is a comedy play. At the same time, it is a satire, and many readers consider it an example of a morality play. However, it would be inappropriate to call it a complete morality play because it does not directly address religious and economic issues. Nevertheless, the idea that bad deeds are punished and good deeds are rewarded is somewhat present towards the end of the play. 

It is more appropriate to call this play a comedy or a satire. Though it is a comedy, it is a black comedy where not only humorous elements are present but also some dark and negative aspects of society are highlighted. We can see that Volpone is a greedy man, and he tempts everyone by saying that his death is very near and that he will give everything to the person who can satisfy him. In reality, although Volpone is old, he is not ill, and there is no possibility that he will die soon. He employed his servant Mosca in this endeavor, and through Mosca, he made everyone even greedier.

Several people fall prey to his greed, and as a result, they give various things to Volpone while also considering leaving their wealth to him. However, this leads to various complications, and by the end, it becomes evident that walking down the wrong path inevitably leads to negative consequences.

This comedy or satire also contains a moral tone, where the subject of morality is concealed. Ben Jonson believed that his contemporary society had deteriorated significantly and did not prioritize human morality and values. Instead, people were moving towards paths of injustice and corruption.

In this path of injustice and corruption, the thing that worked the most was greed. They were greedy for wealth. They were also attracted to beautiful women, and in Volpone, we can see that just as Volpone desires to possess others’ gold, he similarly desires to obtain the beautiful girl Celia unjustly. Celia is married to someone else, but that does not matter to Volpone. Instead, he always used to think about how to approach this beautiful girl and ruin her. Therefore, the main theme of this play is greed, and we all know the saying that greed leads to sin, and sin leads to death.

Ben Jonson has beautifully depicted that greed brings about the destruction of people. He has shown that Volpone is very cunning, but greed leads him astray. In the same way, although Mosca is very clever and even manages to outwit Volpone, in the end, his greed is limitless, and he loses. Thus, destruction comes through greed, and nothing good happens. Besides, at the end of the play, we can see that those who are wicked characters are exposed, and everyone receives punishment.

In English society at that time, many people believed that there was no use in being good and that being good meant bringing about one’s destruction. We can see this in the play, where Celia is a virtuous woman and Bonario is a good man. However, both of them fall into danger, despite neither of them doing anything wrong. Of course, in the end, the truth is revealed, and Celia and Bonario escape from danger. Thus, Ben Jonson tries to convey that being good certainly has its value. Although good people may face some difficulties, they ultimately prevail. The main theme of the morality play is that bad people will be punished and good people will triumph.

Although this play cannot be completely classified as a morality play, we can consider that there are several elements of a morality play, and when viewed in this light, it can be said that it serves as a successful example of the genre.