Volpone by Ben Jonson

››› Download audio book. ‹‹‹ Original Title: Volpone ISBN: 0713654333 ISBN13: 9780713654332 Autor: Ben Jonson/Robert N. Watson (Editor) Rating: 4.3 of 5 stars (665) counts Original Format: Paperback, 208 pages Download Format: PDF, DJVU, iBook, MP3. Published: February 28th 2003 / by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama / (first published 1606) Language: English Genre(s): Plays- 208 users Classics- 129 users Drama- 125 users Fiction- 32 users Plays >Theatre- 23 users Academic >School- 22 users

Literature >17th Century- 21 users European Literature >British Literature- 20 users Literature- 14 users Poetry- 12 users

Description: Volphone's reverential prayer to his heaps of gold launches the sharpest, funniest play about money and morals in the 17th century - a play still wickedly relevant on the same topics four centuries later. Ben Jonson's comedy depicts selfishness thinly veiled by sanctimonious speeches, lust and possessiveness poorly disguised as love and marriage, and cynical legalism passing itself off as pure justice, alongside snobbery, class warfare and greed. The wily protagonists keep a dozen conventional plots spinning in the minds of their dupes, and when their amazing juggling act finally unravels, there are yet more twists - and an even deeper cynicisim - to the story. The play is partly a beast-fable: the wily fox, Volpone, plays dead to lure flesh-eating birds that he can then consume. But the beasts are the human race, and polite society the biggest, greediest scam of them all. This student edition contains a lengthy Introduction with background on the author, date and sources, critical interpretation and stage history. Robert N. Watson is Distinguished Professor of English at UCLA. His publications include Critical Essays on Ben Jonson (as editor) and Ben Jonson's Parodic Strategy. He also edited the New Mermaids edition of Every Man in His Humour.

About Author:

Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist,

and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems. A man of vast reading and a seemingly insatiable appetite for controversy, Jonson had an unparalleled breadth of influence on Jacobean and Caroline playwrights and poets. A house in Dulwich College is named after him. See more at

Other Editions:

- Volpone (Paperback)

- Volpone (Paperback)

- Volpone (Kindle Edition)

- Volpone (Paperback)

- Volpone

Books By Author:

- The Alchemist

- The Complete Poems

- Bartholomew Fair

- Epicoene

- Volpone and Other Plays

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- All for Love

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- Timon of Athens

Rewiews:

May 14, 2015 Roy Lotz Rated it: really liked it Shelves: drama Apart from being too long, this is an excellent play. Ben Jonson is sophisticated and erudite, but also bawdy and saucy. An admirable mixture of book-learning and worldly wisdom. Judging from the other responses here, as well as my own, Jonson's most obvious defect is that he doesn't inspire people to write lengthy reviews. He writes expertly, but with a rather obvious purpose; although certainly highly polished, the point is immediately comprehensible. Jonson is, then, like a mother bird feeding Apart from being too long, this is an excellent play. Ben Jonson is sophisticated and erudite, but also bawdy and saucy. An admirable mixture of book-learning and worldly wisdom. Judging from the other responses here, as well as my own, Jonson's most obvious defect is that he doesn't inspire people to write lengthy reviews. He writes expertly, but with a rather obvious purpose; although certainly highly polished, the point is immediately comprehensible. Jonson is, then, like a mother bird feeding her young: the play comes pre-digested. Alas, would he have known that the quickest way to achieve immortality is to give your readers a bit of gristle to chew. 10 likes 4 comments

Wastrel The interesting thing is that Jonson's lack of immortality came late. For at least a century, and maybe two, Jonson was the pre-eminent playwright of The interesting thing is that Jonson's lack of immortality came late. For at least a century, and maybe two, Jonson was the pre-eminent playwright of his day. Aphra Behn (sorry everybody for continually referencing this biography that I've been 'reading' for months now) was seen as something of a philistine and weirdo because she thought Shakespeare was better than Jonson in her day, it was at least a debateable question, but the great weight of answers to it fell on Jonson's side of the battle. Jonson was seen as more skilfull, more educated, more realistic, funnier, and more socially relevent in his satire, compared to the more primitive, untutored, fantastical Shakespeare. Whereas since then, over time, Jonson's star has fallen and Shakespeare's has risen. To a point where I'd guess Jonson is now ranked at #3 of his era at best (behind Marlowe). So much of a great writer's career takes place so long after his death...

May 15, 2015 03:50PM

Roy Lotz Interesting! I was under the impression that Shakespeare's reputation skyrocketed shortly after his death. Milton wrote a dedicatory poem to Shakespea Interesting! I was under the impression that Shakespeare's reputation skyrocketed shortly after his death. Milton wrote a dedicatory poem to Shakespeare as early as 1630. And certainly by the early 1700s, at least, Shakespeare's reputation was cemented. It's a bit hard for me to believe people thought Jonson was funnier. But he was undoubtedly more socially relevant; and I suppose that could have tipped the scales in his favor, until history moved on.

May 15, 2015 04:40PM