Volpone | |
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![]() Poster for a 1939 production, part of the Federal Theatre Project | |
Written by | Ben Jonson |
Date premiered | Spring 1606 |
Place premiered | Globe Theatre, London |
Original language | Early Modern English |
Subject | greed, lust |
Genre | comedy, city comedy |
Setting | Venice, Renaissance period |
Volpone ([volˈpoːne], Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is ranked among the finest Jacobean era comedies.[citation needed]