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Mosca
Voltore means “vulture,” and, true to his name, Voltore is one of the Italian men lurking around Volpone’s deathbed hoping to inherit his wealth. He is a well-spoken lawyer, and Mosca praises him disingenuously for his ability to speak so well and argue any side of a case. Later in the play, when Volpone is accused of raping Celia, Voltore uses his masterful language skills to convince the court (the Avocatori) that Volpone seem innocent. Voltore seems go back and forth between being ruled by a conscience and by his greed. When he believes that Volpone is dead and Mosca has been named the heir, he recants his testimony before the Avocatori out of guilt. But when Voltore learns that he still might inherit Volpone’s fortune, he pretends to be possessed by the devil to argue that his original false testimony was true. The play emphasizes the importance of language, which might be the reason (in addition to his flashes of moral integrity) that Voltore’s punishment at the play’s end is less severe than the punishments of other characters.
Voltore Quotes in Volpone
The Volpone quotes below are all either spoken by Voltore or refer to Voltore. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1, Scene 4
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What a rare punishment is avarice to itself!
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Act 4, Scene 5
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I would I could forget I were a creature.
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Act 4, Scene 6
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I will conclude with this,
That vicious persons, when they're hot and flesh'd
In impious acts, their constancy abounds:
Damn'd deeds are done with greatest confidence.
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Act 5, Scene 2
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True, they will not see 't.
Too much light blinds 'em, I think. Each of 'em
Is so possest and stuft with his own hopes
That anything unto the contrary,
Never so true, or never so apparent,
Never so palpable, they will resist it—
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Act 5, Scene 12
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Heaven could not long let such gross crimes be hid.
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Voltore Quotes in Volpone
The Volpone quotes below are all either spoken by Voltore or refer to Voltore. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 4
Quotes
What a rare punishment is avarice to itself!
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Act 4, Scene 5
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I would I could forget I were a creature.
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Act 4, Scene 6
Quotes
I will conclude with this,
That vicious persons, when they're hot and flesh'd
In impious acts, their constancy abounds:
Damn'd deeds are done with greatest confidence.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5, Scene 2
Quotes
True, they will not see 't.
Too much light blinds 'em, I think. Each of 'em
Is so possest and stuft with his own hopes
That anything unto the contrary,
Never so true, or never so apparent,
Never so palpable, they will resist it—
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Act 5, Scene 12
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Heaven could not long let such gross crimes be hid.
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