Many critics of Ben Jonson's ''Volpone'' have argued that it is not a true comedy but rather a mix of

tragedy, comedy, and satire. Many have also claimed that it follows the traditional beast-fable that can
be found in the tales of Aesop. Although Volpone takes on some characteristics of tragedy, it seems to
follow closer to the conventions of comedy. But it is not the traditional form of comedy. It is a play that
takes on the form of a comical satire as well as a morality play. It also adapts the features of a fable in
that it strives to teach a moral. Yet this play, even though it adopts these traditions, puts a different
twist on what people would expect from a comedy or morality play. Jonson presents his audience with
an unconventional way of approaching the subjects he is satirizing by creating a new form of comedy
that embodies aspects of all three genres.

Since we are considering Volpone to be a comedy, but rather than the city comedies that were popular
at the time I believe this play to be a comedy of humors, more like a satirical comedy. Can be considered
as satire because he is criticizing his age and social atmosphere. He also has as a main influence of his
play the satiric works of Juvenal. Like Juvenal, Jonson is satirizing the whole of his country. Whether it is
the corruption of the court that we find in Voltore or the immorality of the legacy hunters Jonson is
satirizing the importance of money during his time.

But there is a striking difference between Volpone and the traditional idea of comical satire. The
disparity between Volpone and the conventional comical satire is instantaneously evident. Gone are the
static spokesman, the conveniently formulated ideal, and the easy dispensation of comic justice from a
lofty vantage point. [1] Instead in Volpone one can see a playwright who is perturbed with "conveying
an anatomy of the time's deformity through comedy." The deformity that Jonson is attempting to make
an observation on is the amplification on the magnitude of money. This distortion is demonstrated in
the opening two lines of the play when Volpone awakes and declares, "Good morning to the day; and
next, my gold: open the shrine, that I may see my saint".

In this opening scene the audience can observe that the Volpone's world is not in order. When God is
intended to be the reason of worship it is patent that the greed that shrouds most of the characters of
the play is the subject matter of Jonson's comedy. In this respect one can see that Volpone is not merely
a collection of comic vignettes and satirical caricatures. The play is a concrete satire on the scruples of
the time. In this initial scene Jonson is laying the foundations for a thought-provoking satire as well as a
morality play.

The satire corresponds with the malformation that subsists in Jonson's London. It is a lampoon on the
"very fabric of justice" in London as well as the significance people put on affluence over "such basic
concerns as the ties between husband and wife, (and) the ties between father and son." The core
impetus of this satire on social ethics is dealt with in the situation of Corvino and his wife.

In the Mountebank scene we witness traditional ideals consume Corvino. During the scene Corvino's
wife, Celia behaves as a coquette with Volpone. Corvino bears witness to this and postulates that it is
the "death of mine honor" (2.1, 1). Up until this point in the play he acts as the covetous husband. Once
Mosca offers him with a ability to prostitute his wife for monetary gain, he is swift to lose his honour in
exchange for the inheritance. Jonson demonstrates to his audience how odious Corvino is in abandoning
his principles in exchange for fiscal gain. He criticises the "materialism of the age" for "elevating gold
'above God." His farce "makes avarice the prevailing theme." The characters of Jonson's comedy are so
obsessed in becoming Volpone's heir they utterly disregard any sense of dignity.

Jonson further mocks his society by illustrating how "Corvino and Corbaccio are willing to sacrifice their
dearest possession in hope of gain." The union between father and son is something that is naturally
sancrosanct. Once Corbaccio discovers that the only method he can become Volpone's beneficiary is to
disinherit his own son Bonario, and name Volpone his official heir he is swift to do so. Through
Corbaccio's exploits, Jonson is providing the audience with a glimpse at how cupidity impinges on
traditional social ideals. In Volpone, Jonson is examining the circumstances that he observes exists
around him. Owing to the relationships between Corvino and Celia and Corbaccio and Bonario the
playwright is revealing to his audience the obstreperous ramifications money has on traditional ethics.
These characters are willing to relinquish their most treasured traditions and principles in exchange for
affluence. By making the characters of Corvino and Corbaccio so vituperative the audience can perceive
Jonson's satire of the social ideals that were beginning to taint London.

Through his portrayal of gold as an item that is deified, Jonson has bestowed the audience with a state
where moral integrity comes second to monetary reward. Volpone is more akin to a virtue play rather
than an assortment of comic sketches and satiric cartoons in that it has traditional character forms.
Where Corvino, Corbaccio and Voltore are evidently characters of depravity, the characters of Celia and
Bonario are even more patent as righteous characters. They embody morality in a world full of sin.

In Act III:vii, Volpone attempts to take advantage of Celia. Bonario jumps in to rescue her and proceeds
to rebuke Volpone. In this chastisement of Bonario's we witness both the spoof of orthodox traditions
and the depravity that corrupts Volpone. "His speech is meant to be taken as a straight forward
assertion of the play's values." It is a parody of conventional principles in that the discourse makes
Bonario appear somewhat naive when he is faced with a character such as Volpone.

More than a parody on traditional virtue, Volpone is a satire on the variety of drama that was ubiquitous
at the time. In The Dedication, Jonson makes it patent that Volpone will be a "moral" play and his
intention is to divide justice out in an appropriate fashion. Here he is attempting to "disarm the moral
critics of the theatre." By implementing some of the characteristics of a morality play, Jonson hopes to
"imitate justice" and to "instruct to life" through the amalgamation of a satiric comedy and morality
play. The severity of the retributions that take place during the conclusion of the play fall more in
accordance with a morality play than with comical satire.

In Volpone the audience is offered an innovative form of comedy unlike any play prior to it. It is the
meshing together of the different forms by Jonson to present a comedy that is both satirical and moral
rather than a set of farcical sketches with little significance in the plot. It tackles social and ethical
concerns such as the impending risk of putting riches above faith, as well as the moral questions that are
arise in the conduct of Celia by Corvino. This comedy is one that confronts the audience and urges them
to examine their conduct judiciously as well as jest at the fortune of others.