Ben Jonson's Volpone

Jonson's prologue to Volpone states its purpose as "To mix profit with your pleasure," or entertain the audience while at the same time teaching it a valuable lesson (Jonson Prologue: 8). Indeed, Jonson takes on a sort of braggart tone in the prologue, proclaming that "he dares give [his detractors] five lives to mend [his play] / 'Tis known five weeks fully penned it / From his own hand" (Prologue: 15-17)., yet he still managed to include a message of morality in his play.

Ironically enough, in the first two acts of Volpone, immorality seems to be an abundant theme, highlighted by the fact that all seven of the deadly sins appear within these acts. In 1.1, Volpone demonstrates avarice through his lying and pretending to be ill so that "women and men" will "bring [him] presents, send [him] plate, coin, jewels" in an attempt to win over his estate (1.1: 77, 78). Volpone also demonstrates gluttony, wanting these riches even though he already has "hoards" of "sacred treasure in [his] blessèd room" (1.1: 7, 13). In addition, his slothfulness comes out through the implication that he earns his money dishonestly, "[using] no trae, no venture / ...[winding] no earth with plowshares; [fattening] no beasts / to feed the shambles" (1.1: 33-15). Volpone exhibits lust in 1.5, when he lusts after the wife of Corvino after Mosca's decription of her beauty, declaring that "[He] must see her" and that "[He] will go see her, though but at her window" (1.5: 123, 127).

Corvino provides examples of pride, envy, and wrath when he discovers that his wife, Celia, has "[thrown] down her handkerchief" to Volpone disguised as the merchant Scoto Mantua (2.3: stage directions at 217). Corvino admonishes his wife, showing his own pride when he claims that she's has brought "Death to [his] honor, with the city's fool" (2.3: 1). His envy of Celia's interaction with another man becomes apparent when he accuses her of "[Fanning her] favors forth / To give [her] hot spectators satisfaction," asking if she was "enamored on [Scoto's] copper rings" (2.3: 8-9, 11). Corvino's acts wrathfully when he yells to his wife that "[She] would be damned ere [she] did this," calling her a "whore" and threatening to obtain "justice" through "the murder / Of father, mother, brother, all [her] race" (2.3: 26, 29, 27-28). Indeed, in addition to these, countless other examples exist throughout these first two acts of each of the seven deadly sins, believed by many to be the pinnacle of immorality.

So how do these acts, drenched in sinfulness and immorality, support Jonson's promise in the prologue for a moral lesson to be imparted on his readers through Volpone? I'm assuming this will be made apparently only through the completion of the play's reading. In The Argument preceding his prologue, Jonson cleverly spells out his play's purpose with an acronym of its title, and the last line two lines assure the reader that even though "New tricks for safety are sought" and "thrive," eventually, "Each tempts th'other again, and all are sold" (Argument: 6-7). In other words, although the Volpone's characters are acting in sinful deceit throughout the first two acts of the play, in the end, the moral lesson will be taught through the downfall that each character's immorality brings to the others.

Easter Wings:

This poem is definitely full of religious themes, referring from the very first line to the Lord as creator. It states that the Lord "createdst man in wealth and store," or that He created many men (Herbert 1). Man, however, has lost his wealth foolishly, I assume through sinning against the Lord, and therefore, man has "[decayed] to "become / Most poor" (Herbert 3,5). The speaker of this poem seems to be pleading for some sort of redemption, pleading to "rise" with the Lord and "sing this day [His] victories" so that "the fall" will "further the flight in [him]" (Herbert 7, 9-10). To me, this seems to echo the idea that only through suffering will one attain redemption. The title of the poem refers to Easter, a holiday which celebrates Christ's rising from death back to life, but Christ had to suffer a brutal crucifixion in order to be able to later rise. The speaker seemingly has a desire to share this suffering with Christ and spread the news of it to others so that he, too, may later be redeemed.

In the second stanza, this same theme seems to repeat itself, as the speaker describes that his life began "in sorrow... with sicknesses and shame," and his sins were punished "That [he] became / Most thin" (Herbert 11, 12, 13-14). Again, he pleads to "combine" and "imp [his] wing on [the Lord's]" so that "Afflication shall advance the flight in [him]" (Herbert 17, 19-20). Again, the theme of suffering to attain redemption seems to repeat itself. This is indeed an appropriate theme for a poem entitled Easter Wings, since it was only through his suffering on the cross that Christ attained his figurative "wings," or the ability to ascend to heaven and secure redemption for all of mankind.

John Donne's The Flea:

In this poem, Donne refers to the theme of blood in regards to lust and sin. The flea seems to be a representation of consummation in some way, as Donne explains that "our two bloods mingled be" as a result of the flea "[him... sucking] first, and now sucks thee" (Donne 4, 3). While he acknowledges that this is not "a sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhood," Donne still maintains that it represents sin through the form of gluttony, since the flea is "pampered", or overfed, "[swelling] with the one blood made of two;" (Donne 6, 9). "This, alas, is more than [they] would do," Donne says, implying that he would like to consummate with whomever the poem is addressed to (Donne 9). In this way, Donne links the flea to sins of the flesh, both gluttony, in the flea itself being full with blood, and also lust; while an actual sex act hasn't occured, Donne admits that this is close to it, and that he does lust for one to actually occur.

The theme is continued when Donne states that "This flea is you and I, and this / Our marriage bed and marriage temple is" (Donne 12-13). The flea itself represents the joining of the two in that it contains within itself the blood of both Donne and his would-be lover. Donne decribes that "self-murder" of the flea would represent "sacrilege, three sins in killing three;" in otherwords, the flea contains three "lives": that of Donne (or the poem's speaker), that of the person (assmumingly woman) being addressed, and that of their union and consummation as one (Donne 17-18).

Finally, Donne describes the flea as "guilty" only "in that drop which it sucked from thee" (Donne 21-22). Although both the poem's speaker and his love are missing blood, neither are "the weaker now" (Donne 24). Donne seems to be implying that the woman to which this poem is addressed has some fear of this consummation, but he wants to prove that it will not weaken either of the two, and her worries are indeed "false fears" (Donne 25).

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Malvolio's soliloquy, Act 2 Scene 5, lines 151-168

Malviolio's soliloquy by itself provides interesting insight into Malvolio's character. Throughout the play, Maria and Sir Toby have decribed Malvolio as sort of a wet towel, quashing all of their revelry and fun. Indeed, this soliloquy reveals that Malvolio takes even seemingly hilarious and light-hearted things far too seriously, and it also reveals his pride and the high regard that he holds himself in. After reading the letter, Malvolio believes that he has discovered Olivia's love for him, and rather than becoming giddy or excited, he declares that "[He] will be proud" and "read politic authors" and "wash off gross aquaintances" (Shakespeare 2.5 152-153), expressing his pride and seriousness regarding all matters. Furthermore, the letter's descriptions of what Olivia likes and how she wants Malviolio to behave seem whimsical and strange, yet Malvoilio takes them at face value, declaring that "[He] will be strange, / stout, in yellow stockings, and cross-gartered" (2.5 160-161). Indeed, Malvolio is so serious about the contents of the letter and so proud and confident in himself that he solemnly vows to "smile" and "do everything that [Olivia] / wilt have [him]" (2.5 167-168).

In the greater context of the play as a whole, this soliloquy demonstrates the nature role of courtship and love throughout Twelfth Night. Malvolio believes this letter that he discovers has revealed Olivia's deep love for him, when in reality, the letter is a farce, simply an expression of Maria's sense of humor and the practical joke that she plays on Malvolio with the others. Similarly, Orsino claims to have a deep love for Olivia that cannot be overcome; the ease with which he experiences a change of heart at the play's end to love Viola instead, however, implies that Orsino's rambling declarations of love may just represent his obsession with the idea of love, and of indulging his own whims and moping. Likewise, Olivia claims to be deeply in love with Viola while she is disguised as Cesario, but her love is proven to be little more than an expression of physical attraction when she can't even tell the difference between her so-called love Viola and Viola's twin, Sebastian. Furthermore, just like Malvolio seems willing to follow the letter's advice on a whim without giving much consideration to the implications of what he is about to do, the other characters behave in the same manner regarding their marriages. Olivia decides to marry Sebastian, believing he is Cesario, without putting too much thought into it obviously since she thinks he is someone who he isn't. On his part, Sebastian shows even more willingness to unthinkingly comply, since he marries Olivia without even really knowing who she is! Similarly, Orsino agrees to marry Viola as soon as he finds out who she is, without even seeming to mind that Viola has been lying to him all along about being a boy, even though he was supposedly so in love with Olivia only moments earlier.

So while the solilquy demonstrates Malvolio's own seriousness regarding life in general, it also reveals that perhaps the other characters in the play behave seriously in that they overblow the intensity of their feelings and beliefs. They convince themselves to take their love so seriously, even when it's simply physical attraction or self-indulgence. As a result, the characters seem to rush into actions and marriages without much thought, which would probably have deterimental results in the real world; in Shakespeare's play, however, it serves the device of the comedy in allowing a happy ending for all, full of love and marriage and the prospect of happily-ever-after.