Jonson’s naming of the character Volpone, Italian for fox, creates an instant image of the character. I think that Jonson’s metaphor creates an image of a sly, cunning character. Volpone asks Mosca for “[his] furs, and night caps” (P31). In staging the play, I would dress Volpone in reddish brown clothes trimmed with fur to complement his character, but not to distract from the fact that he is still a man and not a fox. I think Jonson is saying that he is not an animal but has lost his human qualities. His name leaves the audience in no doubt as to the expected behaviour of Volpone, that he will as a fox, outwit his associates. He confesses to Mosca that “[he glories] in the cunning purchase of [his] wealth” (P21).
Volpone’s parasite Mosca, Italian for fly, presents a very different animal imagery from Volpone. As his name suggests he circles the other characters and is quick to jump to his next feed. He is completely aware of his parasitical nature and in his soliloquy, Mosca praises himself for his skill and his art as a parasite. “I am so limber. O! your parasite / Is a most precious thing, dropped from above,” (P123). Jonson adds to the imagery of a fly in his style of writing of Mosca’s soliloquy. His speech darts around like a fly with many of the lines ending in a buzzing sound. I think in this speech Jonson is emphasising the parasitical nature of Mosca and the relationship between the fox and the fly. Jonson uses a simile of a snake to illustrate true intention of Mosca. Mosca tells the audience that “I could skip / Out of my skin, now, like a subtle snake,” (P123). I think this imagery illustrates Mosca’s growth as a character, as like a snake he is growing out of his old skin as he feels more important and successful. I think Jonson also uses the snake to symbolise the cunning snake in the Garden of Eden, which deceived Eve and led to the fall of humanity. Mosca will deceive everyone and lead to the downfall of all the animalistic characters in the play.
Jonson introduces the beginning of Volpone’s visitors with the metaphor of birds feeding on carrion to illustrate the aims of the visitors. Volpone announces, “Begin their visitation! Vulture, kite, / Raven, and gor-crow, all my birds of prey, / That think me leaving carcass,” (P31). The names of the characters function as metaphors, which create images of their true natures. The lawyer Voltore, named for the vulture is the first of the visitors hoping to feed off Volpone. In the staged play I would dress Voltore in his black lawyer’s gown, the drapes of the gown representing the large black wings of the vulture.
Jonson names the other two legacy hunters after carrion birds. Corbaccio the raven and Corvino the crow, visit Volpone after the vulture in their natural order of the largest most powerful bird first. Voltore who has more power as a lawyer, and then the smaller raven and lastly the crow visit the carcass. Volpone announces Corbaccio’s arrival by “The vulture’s gone, and the old raven’s come.” (P43). I think Jonson also shows the hierarchy of the legacy hunters in the bird imagery.
The other character Jonson openly names after a bird is Peregrine. The metaphor of his name creates a very different image from the legacy hunters, the carrion feeding birds. The Peregrine Falcon has historically symbolised power, speed and pride. I think the role of the imagery Jonson creates in Peregrine is to contrast with the other characters that feed off carrion, whilst Peregrine, the Englishman is a skilful hunter. Jonson shows a contrasting character in Sir Politic Would-Be, the other Englishman in Volpone. Abbreviated to Pol, he is a parrot and is anything but politic, as is Lady Would-Be who chatters incessantly in the manner of a parrot. This imagery highlights the comic angle of these two characters and also emphasises that their chatter is not to be taken seriously. Sir Politic admits to Peregrine in act five, scene four that he parrots his conversational subject matter from play scripts. “Alas, sir. I have none but notes / Drawn out of play-books” (P255). Ironically when Sir Politic wants to hide, his disguise is that of a tortoise. Symbolically he is large and slow and unable to swiftly escape. As he leaves the play Sir Politic promises to “…clime for ever, / Creeping, with house on back; and think it well, / To shrink my poor head in my politic shell.” (P261) By this metaphor I think Jonson is suggesting Sir Politic will from now on keep his head down and use discretion rather that pretend to be wise.
Jonson also uses animal imagery as the characters verbally attack each other. Corvino, when attempting to prostitute Celia, accuses her of being “An arrant locust” (P157) as like a plague of locusts she is ruining his chance of wealth, which is Volpone’s fortune. As Celia is about to weep Corvino tells her that she is a “Crocodile, that hast thy tears prepared, / Expecting how thou’lt bid ‘em flow” (P157). I think Jonson is referring to the crocodile in the fable that cries tears whilst killing his victim. Jonson uses animal imagery to debase Celia in Corvino’s attack on her in the courtroom and also Corbaccio’s verbal abuse of his son. Corvino describes Celia as being “more than a partridge” and that she “neighs like a jennet” (P213). Jonson uses the imagery of a partridge as it was traditionally thought to be lustful as was the jennet. Corbaccio accuses his son of being a “Monster of men, swine, goat, wolf” (P211). Ironically in this metaphor Corbaccio is accusing Bonario of being greedy, unclean and wanting everything for himself when that was his own motivation. He is also by comparing him to a goat, accusing Bonario of being lecherous.
Jonson uses animal imagery to identify the legacy hunters, and as Lady Would-Be joins the group of hopefuls, Jonson places her amongst the animals as a she-wolf. As Volpone invents his death he tells Mosca that “I shall have instantly my vulture, crow, / Raven, come flying hither on the news, / To peck for carrion, my she-wolf and all”. (P235) I think Jonson is illustrating that Lady Would-Be is no longer a chattering parrot but has now become one of the greedy animals hoping to feed from the death of another.
As Volpone hears his punishment and is led aside his final line is “This is called mortifying of a fox” (P297). I think that Jonson uses this quintuple pun to provide different images of the end of the fox. It is the humiliation of Volpone, bringing the fox to his death, tenderising animal meat or teaching sinners by punishment.
At the end of Volpone, Jonson reinforces his moral message through animal imagery that greed and wrongdoing will want more and more until it destroys itself. As the characters are taken away to be punished the 1st Avocatore reminds the audience that “Mischeifs feed / Like beasts, till they be fat / and then they bleed” (P299).
