戏剧背景与讽刺主题的完美统一——《狐狸》(Volpone,or The Fox)背景艺术分析

Perfect Unity Between Dramatic Background and Satiric Theme-An Analysis of Volpone or The Fox's Setting

《狐狸》是本·琼生的代表作品。剧本以讽刺当时伦敦社会“金钱至上”的唯金主义为主题 ,揭露和批判了由此引发的各种社会畸形。剧本主要反映詹姆士一世 (Jacobean)时代 ,伦敦刚刚崛起的商人阶层的狡诈和贪婪。但琼生却选择意大利的威尼斯作为戏剧故事背景。本文力图分析琼生把一部反映英国社会问题戏剧的背景选择为威尼斯的原因 ,和威尼斯的故事背景对《狐狸》展开剧情和突出主题的作用。

Volpone, or The Fox is generally considered Ben Jonson's masterpiece. The play focuses on the overemphasis on the importance of money, criticizing the 'materialism of the age' and exposing various deformities arising from the vice. The play though set in Venice, directs its scrutiny on the rising merchant classes of Jacobean London. This paper is striving to explore the reasons why Jonson chooses Venice City as the play's setting and how Volpone benefits from the setting.