Three
legacy hunters are Voltore, a lawyer; Corbaccio, an old gentleman; and Corvino, a
merchant
Voltore
One
of the three legacy hunters or carrion-birds—the legacy hunters continually
circle around Volpone, giving him gifts in the hope that he will choose them as
his heir. Voltore is a lawyer by profession, and, as a result, he is adept in
the use of words.
Voltore is, like all the legacy hunters, named
after a carrion-bird. In the case of Voltore, that bird is the vulture; for
Corvino, it is the crow, and for Corbaccio, the raven. Voltore is the most
pleasant of all the legacy hunters, for he is the least crass and the least
obsessed with seeing Volpone die.
His
preferential status shows in Mosca's special regard for him: Mosca tries to
make sure that Voltore gets enough payment for his services at the Scrutineo in
Act IV. But Voltore comes to regret his actions at the Scrutineo. Of course, this
regret only comes after he has been denied his inheritance, and it seems to
stem directly from his bitterness at Mosca's leapfrogging over him on the
social ladder.
And
when Volpone whispers to him that he might still get his inheritance, he stops
confessinghis lies to the Scrutineo and pretends that he was
"possessed" by an evil demon. Theverbal irony is that Voltore, in
that statement and action, reveals his greed.
Corbaccio
Another
"carrion-bird" circling Volpone, Corbaccio is actually extremely old
and ill himself and is much more likely to die before Volpone even has a chance
to bequeath him his wealth. He has a hearing problem and betrays no sign of
concern for Volpone, delighting openly in (fake) reports of Volpone's worsening
symptoms. He goes as far as to testify against his own son. He is finally
punished, sent to a monastery, and forced to turn his estate over to his son,
Bonario.
Corvino
A
greedy, rich merchant and an extremely cruel and dishonorable character,
Corvino is Celia's jealous husband. He frequently threatens to do disgusting
acts of physical violence to her and her family in order to gain control over
her. Yet he is more concerned with financial gain than with her faithfulness,
seeing her, in essence, as a piece of property. Corvino is another one of the
"carrion-birds" circling Volpone. Corvino is punished in theend for
offering up his wife, which results in her returning to her father, with her
dowry tripled. Corviono is the third of the "carrion-birds" circling
Volpone.
No comments:
Post a Comment