Ben Jonson's comedy "Volpone"

Introduction Ben Jonson lived and worked during the times of the English Renaissance theatre. The "dark" Middle Ages were followed by a time known in art and literature as the Renaissance. The word "renaissance" means "rebirth" in French and was used to denote a phase in the cultural development of Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. The wave of progress reached the shores of England only in the 16th century. The ideas of the …

…This comedy is one that challenges the audience to look at their actions critically. It is this combination of the moral and satirical that makes this play so unique for its time. The use of the fable lets the reader treat the subject of moral action in a detached way while the comical action entertains the audience. In Volpone Jonson was successful in combining different genres in order to create a new form of comedy.