Volpone
Main idea of the soliloquy?
In Act 1 Scene 1
In Act 1 Scene 1
In his opening soliloquy, Volpone proclaims that gold is his soul as well as the soul of the world. He declares that he is happier to see his gold than the earth is to see the spring sun at the end of winter. He vows that the sun pales in comparison to gold, its son, which gleams like light on the day of creation. He asks to kiss his treasure and insists that the Age of Gold must have been the greatest in history to be so named. Gold, he says, brings more happiness than friends or family and has the looks of Venus, the love of twenty thousand Cupids. It cannot speak or act for itself, but gold, which Volpone calls a saint, makes men speak and act on its behalf. With gold, hell would be transformed into heaven since gold is equal to virtue, fame, honor and everything. Whoever possesses it will be noble, valiant, honest and wise, says Volpone.
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