... Begin their visitation! Vulture, kite, / Raven, and gor - crow, all my birds of prey.' (Volpone, Act I, Sc 2, ln 87-89, Norton 7th Edition.) Immediately we have a scene which should be quite settled, yet it is not. Each of the `harpies' {Volpone, Act I Sc 2 ln 122) refers to one of Volpone's potential heirs. 'They are like birds of prey waiting to swoop on the corpse.' (Peck And Coyle, Practical Criticism, pp 185.) Throughout the first Act we are introduced to all four scavengers. Voltore, the vulture; Corbaccio, the raven; Corvino, the crow and Lady Politic Would-Be, the kite. It takes us until Act II to meet anyone who possesses any morality whatsoever. This we have in the form of the unfortunate Celia. She is wife to the jealous Corvino who compares himself to `the Pantalone di Bisognosi' (Volpone Act II sc 3 ln 7.) This ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now