Volpone

Volpone tells of a magnifico of Venice with no wife or children to whom to leave his fortune. The prospect of such wealth invites to his house an assortment of greedy hopefuls, ready to prostitute any ideals in the pursuit of money. Volpone's parasite, Mosca, assists him in milking these pretenders as they deserve. When Volpone and Mosca practice their schemes on innocent victims, however, the play turns in a more unpredictable direction and ends in a series of surprises. Subplot figures enrich the narrative of satirical exposure of greed, and the play is wildly comic in its depiction of plotting and counter-plotting.