Johnson's Volpone

I think one of my favorite things about Volpone was the fact that almost none of the characters were likable. There was no happy ending in the traditional sense and everyone was out to screw everybody else. I thought that although Johnson was probably trying to make a point about society and people, his rotten losers made the play so outrageous that it was hilarious. I loved that after suspending disbelief, we could watch Volpone and Mosca yank everyone into his schemes, make enormous fools of everybody, and then drop the whole pile of garbage upon themselves in a splendid shower. I liked that the play did not really try to play with my emotions and make me feel self-conscious, unlike some of the articles that I read said of Twelfth Night. The kind of comedy that just stands on its own and makes the audience without getting itself involved in little old me is nice. That is not to say that there is no value in having attention drawn to oneself, but this play both offered a bold message and a huge laugh at the same time, thus having little need for me but to watch.