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Metaphor
Explanation and Analysis—The Final Ingredient:
In Act 5, Scene 12, as Volpone draws to a close, the titular character takes the stage a final time to address the audience directly. Slipping out of character, the actor pleads for a positive reception of the work and uses a metaphor to illustrate the importance of the applause he hopes is impending:
The seasoning of a play is the applause.
Now, though the Fox be punished by the laws,
he yet doth hope there is no suff’ ring due
For any fact which he hath done ‘gainst you.
If there be, censure him; here he doubtful stands.
If not, fare jovially, and clap your hands.
Volpone (or, the actor playing Volpone) compares the applause of the audience to be the seasoning on a plate of gourmet food—the final touch that makes the dish complete. All that is needed to finish the performance is a dash of applause—and the actor has the nerve-wracking obligation to stand before the audience and wait for it to come.
Although a strong narrative drives Volpone, and although it occasionally takes itself seriously, Jonson is also self-conscious about his work's status as theater. Volpone does not pretend to be a representation of reality, that is. Its brutal satire hinges on the fact that the actors and audience are both in on the ridiculousness. What's more, the tension between theater and reality is central to Jonson's exploration of vice in 17th-century Italy.
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