First Masterpiece
The next year, Jonson produced what is generally considered to
be his masterpiece. In Volpone, a rich merchant hits upon the scheme of faking
his own death in order to swell his coffers with gifts. Sickened by the greed
which was becoming a predominant feature of the economic system, Jonson is no
longer simply drawing an amusing picture of Elizabethan times, he is flatly
assailing the morals of the age.
be his masterpiece. In Volpone, a rich merchant hits upon the scheme of faking
his own death in order to swell his coffers with gifts. Sickened by the greed
which was becoming a predominant feature of the economic system, Jonson is no
longer simply drawing an amusing picture of Elizabethan times, he is flatly
assailing the morals of the age.