Critical Roads into Volpone - Essay Example

no. Critical Roads into Volpone Christopher Baker, Richard Harp. Comparative Drama. Kalamazoo: Spring 2005. Print.Vol. 39, Iss. 1, pg. 55 - 20.Section onePart One“No one has linked Dantes Inferno to Ben Jonson’s Volpone. However, there are a numerous reasons to think that the first canticle of the Italian poets epic poem was influential on Jonsons most enduringly popular play…” (Baker and Harp n.p.). Baker and Harp plan to show the level of influence that Dante’s poem has on Johnson’s play.

The article illustrates the similarities inherent in both Dante and Volpone works. Part TwoAmong the main strength of Baker’s argument is how they succeed in comparing the two works. The idea of morality is shown through the main characters in the two works are well illustrated. For instance, “Just as Dantes hell is the spiritual inverse of heaven, Jonsons Venice is the moral inverse of every humanistic ideal which, as outlined in his poem” (Baker and Harp n.p.). Despite holding different opinions on morality, both authors believed in punishment of evil as demonstrated in their works.

One weakness in Baker and Harp’s argument is that they fail to demonstrate the two works as comedies. Their argument that the story of Gianni Schicci evokes a comical effect is not sufficient. Furthermore, their attempt to classify the two works as comedies is inadequate. Their commentary requires more illustrations.Part ThreeOne word that I recognized but had to look up to clarify was ‘Augur’ meaning a religious official in the ancient Rome who observed and interpreted natural signs as an indication of divine approval or disapproval of a proposed decision or action.

I searched from Google.Section Two… ………… please make the payment of the additional one page, I sent you the rest of the paper. Regards