Q: Volpone as a comedy

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

Q: Historical Context of Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice

Historical context:
The Jews and Judaism have experienced numerous persecutions, starting from late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, when the Roman
Empire frequently subdued the Jewish people, first by evicting them from their homelands during the pagan Roman era and later by authorizing
them as second-class citizens during the Christian Roman era. Another wave of persecutions followed in medieval Europe during the Crusades, in
the name of Christianity, and the expulsions of Jewish populations from England, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal. Procedures such as
expulsion and genocide were used throughout history by entire nations and empires who sought to oppress and eliminate the Jews. Some of the
most important actions against the Jewish populations were: the First Crusade, the Spanish Inquisition, the Portuguese Inquisition
and the Pogroms backed by the Russian Tsars, but the most destructive was in Nazi Germany- the Holocaust led to the slaughter of around 6 million
Jews.
Jews in Venice:
Jewish merchants and moneylenders visited and worked in the city of Venice beginning with the 10th century but only started settling
there during the 13th century, when they had to pay certain taxes in order to be allowed to make transactions. Fearing the Jewish appropriation in
the economic domains, the authorities decided the expulsion of Jews from Venice in the 14th century, with the only possibility of work limited to
two-week intervals. Only those who were not moneylenders remained in Venice, suffering various restrictions and being forced to wear markings
on their clothing to identify themselves as Jews, such as: a yellow badge, a yellow hat and later a red hat. (Levy et al. 779)
Portrayal of Jews in literature
Throughout history, the stereotypes of Jews in literature have developed but their constancy over the centuries is a suggestion of the fact
that the way in which Jews were treated was stagnant and little affected by the modifications in the Jewish society. While trying to represent a
character of Jewish origins, authors mirror the perspective of their contemporaneous society, which evolves through the modifications of economy
and culture. But the existence of anti-Semitism is an undeniable truth, proved by the reiteration of the evil stereotype of the Jews in literature. Thus
some of the first depictions of this stereotype were the early mistery plays. The medieval fantasies which portrayed Jews as evil villains who
attacked Christians represented the inspiration for plays such as The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe and The Merchant of Venice by William
Shakespeare. But in Shakespeare’s time there were no Jews in England, having been banished for almost 300 years. Therefore Shakespeare’s public
couldn’t have possibly known from a real experience what Jewish people were like, having to rely only on stories and biased rumours.
Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta was one of the plays which influenced Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The main Jewish
character is called Barabas and is depicted in a similar way to Shylock, as a villain, a manipulative and malevolent exploiter who ends up punished
for his crimes after he loses his daughter. But the emphasis is on Barabas’ wickedness and lack of morality, which turn the Jew into a character
described by inhumanity. Shakespeare’s play, despite the fact that it talks about anti-Semitism, is not as severe and strict regarding the depiction of
a Jew character as a distorted caricature. Shylock’s character comprises both the fervent perseverance for his quest for vengeance and the
unquestionable accusation of Christianity’s cruel treatment towards the jewish population. In present times, reading Shakespeare’s play rises the
problem of a factual conflict and our moral values and codes clash with the standards of Shakespeare’s time.

Q: The Merchant of Venice as a Romantic Comedy - Critical Analysis

Shakespeare’s early comedies were classical in spirit but the later ones were more emotional, fanciful and humorous. ‘The Mer chant of
Venice’ falls between their two categories. It leads the list of mature comedies; has more Romantic characteristics than c lassical. It is also
one of the earliest productions of the middle period. In this play Shakespeare seems to have obtained the highest use of his powers as a
playwright, his faculties as a poet and philosopher seem to be approaching their grand maturity wi thout losing the ardour and
hopefulness of youth. There is loftiness of thought and expression.
Romance was an old tradition and Romantic ideas were common during Shakespeare’s time. Romantic Comedy in the 16th C was mean t
for the Aristocracy and the comic relief in the plays was meant for the groundlings. There were many differences between the Romantic
Comedies and classical comedies. In the classical tradition, the characters were presented with ruthless force and the plays were realistic,
spiritual and critical. But in Romantic comedies that Shakespeare wrote there was plenty of with but there was also an appeal to the
emotions rather than the intellect and they were also less critical in purpose. Like Meredith said, they are “thunders of lau ghter clearing
the air and heart.” It is a comedy of emotions, which wins the audience’s sympathy with the woes and exhalations of the chara cters.
The various characteristics of Romantic comedies are present in ‘The Merchant of Venice’. The leading themes of most of these plays were
Love and Friendship. These comedies were an exposition of Love and its manifold modifications. And on one level ‘The Merchant of
Venice’ is also a play about friendship and love. In the first scene itself Antonio displays the nature of lo ve and friendship that he feels for
Bassanio,
“My purse, my person, my extremest means
Lie all unlocked to your occasions.”
The love of friendship seems to dictate most of Antonio’s actions. He signs the Flesh Bond and it can be seen as the ultimate gesture that
he can make for the sake of friendship. Bassanio also reciprocates, but his feelings are not on par with that of Anto nio’s. And there seem
to be several levels of friendship represented throughout the play. The friendship of Bassanio and Antonio is contrasted with that of
Shylock and Tubal. The play opens with a friendship scene, friendship is an important factor in the trial scene and the play ends
demonstrating what friendship will do.
Different kinds of love as also presented in ‘The Merchant of Venice’. The love of a father for a daughter and here again the re is a contrast
in the way The Lord of Belmont displays his love (though indirectly) for Portia and later on in the play the way Shylock behaves with
Jessica. His possessive nature is shown and one wonders what hurt him more, Jessica’s elopement or the loss of his money when he
chants
“My daughter! O my Daughter! O my daughter!
My ducats and my daughter!”
Although Portia admits that the “will of a living daughter” is curbed by the “will of a dead father” respect for him is evide nt when she says
“I will die as chaste as Diana unless I be obtained the manner of my father’s will.”
Jessica on the other hand is ashamed of her father and is a daughter only by blood and not by manners. She breaks all custom and elopes
and hurts Shylock the most by marrying a Christian. Still one might find it hard to censure Jessica and we j ustify her actions because of the
treatment met out to her by Shylock.
The emotional depth of feeling that Bassanio feels for Portia is slightly different from that of Lorenzo and Jessica’s. Howev er one might
argue that Lorenzo right from the start talks about “how I shall take her from her father’s house, What gold and jewels she is furnished
with”, while Bassanio talks about a “fair lady richly left” to whom he “swore a secret pilgrimage”. Later his speech does rai se a lot of
questions when he says that plainness moves him and we are all ware of his love for show. The impulse of true loves moves his to choose
the lead casket! But we should not use too much of logic and accept it as part of a ‘Romantic Comedy.’ ‘The Merchant of Venic e’ is
informed with the idea of love’s wealth and how love is about giving away and not shutting and rejecting.
There was also a predominance of young people in Romantic comedies and many pairs of lovers and multiple marriages were prese nt.
Most of them were set on a foreign canvas and dealt with either business or domestic affairs of the Merchant class. Venice was probably
an evocative name for the Elizabethans and was a source of inspiration. Shakespeare presented a Venice that lived in the Eliz abethan
mind and it was a city of rich merchants and gentlemen in silks. And then he gave the picturesque environment of Belmont and the starlit
garden at the play’s end. The exotic locations could also be a reflection of the tremendous development that was talking plac e in
navigation and exploration during the European Renaissance.
The Shakespearean ‘Romantic’ heroine combined a heart of exquisite sensibility and high spirits and acted as a saviour in a
crisis. Portia here is the epitome of wit, courage and adventure. She is presented as the repository of true values, the pres erver, and the
healer and as the vehicle of all generous qualities of Love. The hero played a secondary role to that of the h eroine and in this play also we
see Bassanio playing second fiddle to Portia who dominates. But there is ambiguity as to who is the hero of the play. There i s Antonio,
who is ‘the merchant’ and then Shylock. Is Bassanio really a hero? But then again we hav e to accept certain things, if Portia is the heroine
then Bassanio would by default becomes the hero.
There is also the use of disguise and music in Romantic comedies. Disguise was used to generate humour. And during the 16th C
there were no female actors. The males enacted all the female roles, and when they disguised themselves as males it was bound to be
extremely funny. Here Portia and Nerissa disguise themselves and it is also a form of dramatic irony. The hero of the Flesh B ond story is
rescues by the heroine of the Casket story who was in the first place the reason that the flesh bond was signed. Audiences tend to get
restless with too much of speech and music was used to alleviate this condition. But music also adds another dimension to the play and
conveys ideas, which cannot be well put forth in the verbal form.
Music was used for ‘stage music’ i.e. as in an action on the stage that required it or as ‘magic music’ i.e. to make someone fall in
love with someone or miraculously heal someone. And it was also used as ‘character music’, to portray or reveal the character of one of
the protagonist. Shakespeare felt that those who did not appreciate music were like animals. There is beautiful use of music and song in
all his plays. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ the song serves the purpose of giving Bassanio a clue about the casket.
As Shelly remarked “Our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught/ our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest
thoughts”, most of these comedies had a quality of serene happiness that was likely to develop into merriment in the conclusion but it
also threatened to become serious. They also had a tragic strain in them. With the intrusion of melancholic characters there is a tragic
possibility in most comedies. Here Antonio has a melancholic humour. He considers his part in world as “a sad one.” Shylock also strikes a
tragic note, at the end of the play he is left without the props of his life and although he is considered to be the villain, one cannot help
feeling sorry for him.
However there are certain differences in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and the other Romantic comedies of Shakespeare. Firstly,
Love is not the only dominant interest of the play unlike as it is in “Twelfth Night.” The play could easily be one that is dealing with issues
of Jewry and Usury that were very contemporary. Bassanio as the Romantic hero is not a lovesick languishing figure and his mo tives are
rather suspected. The couples also in this play are matured as compared to others but Lorenzo and Jes sica could fit the bill of being
fancifully Romantic. The climax of the play is not the love story as it should be in a romantic comedy but in the Trial scene that comes
rather late. The marriage also take place in the middle of the play and though it give s time to show love’s wealth it is not in keeping with
the other plays.
Nevertheless most of the characteristics of a Romantic comedy are present in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and regarding the endin g
of the play as E.K. Chambers said it is like “a sweet dream come true or a bad dream gone.” As Stephano announces the return of Portia
from her ‘pilgrimage’, Antonio is told of the safe return of his ‘argosies’, Lorenzo and Jessica are informed of their inheri tance from
Shylock’s wealth and Belmont’s music and this harmony seem to be appropriate resolutions of the play’s disharmonies.