Volpone is written in an incredibly sarcastic, withering tone that ruthlessly critiques the characters in the play for their miserable behavior—as could perhaps be expected from a play whose cast includes a "parasite" and a "vulture."
The derision with which Jonson treats his lowly cast of grifters is evident from the very opening of the play, when the playwright presents his “argument”:
Volpone, childless, rich, feigns sick, despairs,
Offers his state to hopes of several heirs,
Lies languishing; his Parasite receives
Presents of all, assures, deludes; then weaves
Other cross-plots, which ope themselves, are told.
New tricks for safety are sought; they thrive; when, bold,
Each tempts th’other again, and all are sold.
In this clever acrostic, which spells out the name of the titular character using the first letter of each line, the sharp edge of Jonson’s tone is plain to read: simply put, pretty much everyone in the play tricks everyone else, and nobody wins. Jonson sustains this tone through the end of the play; as one of the Avocatori pronounces in the final scene, “Mischiefs feed like beasts, till they be fat, and then they bleed.” Jonson’s tone matches his character’s observation, as he portrays his mischievous cast of characters in all their gluttonous, shameful glory, spotlighting them as they "feed like beasts" on each other. He then traces their downfall as they finally begin to "bleed," and the play charts this progress with a tongue-in-cheek, cynical tone.
