Volpone: Act 5, Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

Mosca enters the room where Volpone has been drinking. He asks Volpone how he is doing, and if they are free to continue with their lives and their trade. Volpone praises Mosca for his ability to trick everyone and get Volpone out of trouble for his attempted rape. Mosca asks Volpone if he enjoyed the elaborate ruse, and Volpone says it was better than if he had enjoyed Celia. He says the pleasure of womankind can’t compare to the pleasure of fooling others.

Mosca tells Volpone that he thinks they should quit while they are ahead and stop their ruses, since the last trick was their masterpiece. Volpone and Mosca talk about how incredible it is that Mosca was able to hoodwink the court, make the innocent seem guilty, and create a “music out of discords.” Volpone finds it incredible that Mosca has been able to convince all the men (Voltore, Corvino, and Corbaccio) that he is on their side without getting them to suspect him or each other. Mosca replies that they are all too possessed by their own hopes for Volpone’s fortune to see that they are being manipulated. He says they will resist any claim contrary to their aims, even if it is obviously true, which Volpone compares to a temptation of the devil.

Mosca says that merchants brag about making money from trade, and great men talk about valuable farm land, but no investment is more productive than taking money from Voltore, Corvino, and Corbaccio. Mosca then asks Volpone how he liked Voltore’s work in the court, to which Volpone responds that he struggled to keep from laughing. Mosca says that Volpone looked scared, and Volpone admits to being a little frightened but not terrified of being discovered. Out of conscience, Mosca says that Voltore did such a good job saving Volpone that Voltore doesn’t deserve to be cheated out of payment. Volpone agrees based on what he was present for in court, but Mosca says that Voltore was even more impressive before Volpone arrived.

Volpone agrees with Mosca that Voltore was excellent, but Volpone says he can’t pay Voltore yet. Instead, Volpone will trick them all once more. Volpone calls in Nano and Castrone and instructs them to go into the streets and tell people that Volpone has died. They leave to go do Volpone’s bidding, and Mosca asks what he is trying to accomplish. Volpone explains that all at once he’ll get Voltore, Corbaccio, Corvino, and Lady Would-be to come running, thinking that he is dead and that they are heir, only to have their hopes taken away from them. Volpone instructs Mosca to act like he is the heir. Volpone signs a blank will and dresses Mosca in a mourning outfit.

Mosca asks Volpone what he should say if people ask to see Volpone’s body, and Volpone responds that Mosca should say it was corrupted. Volpone tells Mosca to get a pen and paper and pretend he is taking inventory of all he is inheriting. Volpone will then watch from behind a curtain as Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino become enraged and depressed. Mosca says that Lady Would-be will also come, and he says that gold is the most effective medicine and the thing that makes everything in the world beautiful. Voltore knocks (since “he has the quickest scent”), and Volpone hides and tells Mosca to be artful when he torments all the suitors.