Ben Jonson’s Volpone (1606) is a highly entertaining masterpiece of Jacobean satiric comedy, some would even say, one of the most effective comedies in the history of English drama. The play offers ludicrous characters, a superbly crafted intrigue plot and verbal fireworks in the dialogues.
In class we will address the following questions: Which forms of comedy are employed in the play? How are they adapted and combined to serve satiric ends? And how does the critical exposure of vices (mainly greed and vanity) but also foolishness (pretention and credulity) relate to contemporary ideals, norms and values? More importantly, in what ways does the satire address social conditions and ideological contentions in Jacobean England?
To facilitate our work in class, participants need to acquire a printed edition of the play (preferably the well-annotated New Mermaids edition; alternatively, the Oxford World’s Classics or the Penguin Classics edition which contain Volpone).
Assessment/requirements:
Übung: test at the end of term
Seminar: 12-page term paper
- Kursleiter/in: Uwe Klawitter