In Ben Jonson's Volpone, Celia represents the embodiment of femininity in Renaissance literature. She is beautiful, submissive, calm and powerless to resist her husband's control over her every move. Although it is disturbing that her gender makes her a victim of male characters such as Corvino and Volpone, who treat her as if she were a possession to be conquered, this essay seeks to unravel the reasons why masculinity is threatened by feminine strength and strength. autonomy, and not to victimize the female characters in Jonson's play or to vilify men as the cause of this injustice. Because masculinity and femininity cannot exist without each other, men and women must be willingly or forcibly complicit to function within this binary. By examining female sexuality and morality not only in Celia's characterization but also in that of Lady Want-Be Politic, Jonson reveals how women are caught in a double bind within the patriarchal structure of Renaissance England; they must either conform to their feminine role or risk being alienated from their community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayCelia, the wife of Corvino (one of Volpone's victims) fully conformed to the female role of a real married woman. Mosca introduces his character into the play by informing Volpone: "She is guarded as carefully as your gold:/ She never comes abroad, never takes the air/ But to a window." All his looks are sweet/ Like the first grapes or cherries, and are watched/ as near as they are” (Jonson 2.0 ll. 118-122). Although Corvino married Celia because she embodied the virginal and moral qualities of the “feminine,” now that she lives with him, it becomes his responsibility to maintain her virtue. He keeps it locked inside so that it will not be corrupted by outside influences. Volpone, upon hearing this news, finds Celia sexually attractive not only because Mosca talks to him about her beauty but also because he compares her to Volpone's gold. For Volpone, wealth is the source of his power in the community and therefore reinforces his own masculinity. If Celia is Corvino's gold, Volpone ultimately wants to sleep with her to prove that he is more masculine than any of the men involved in his scam. In the article "Desire and Domination in Volpone", Howard Marchitell explains that the reason Celia is sought by both Corvino and Volpone as a prize is because "Celia is the model of a woman who is commodified and exchanged between men » (298). Throughout the play, Jonson portrays Celia as flat, one-sided, and static to use her as an example of any woman who conforms to her feminine role and then becomes a target for men like Volpone, who simply want to use her for strengthen their own reputations. Completely unaware at this moment of the danger surrounding her femininity, Celia buys a powder from Volpone (in disguise) which he claims Venus used and which, "kept her perpetually young, lightened her wrinkles, firmed/her gums, filled her skin , [and] colored her hair” (Jonson 2.2 ll. 234-236) has undoubtedly placed Celia in a position where she is easily victimized by the men in her community, but the consequences of not conforming are perhaps even more serious than the danger she faces today. She buys the powder because she feels it is necessary to preserve her feminine appearance in order to.remain in favor of her husband. By marrying a nobleman, Celia gained status within the community and lives the lifestyle of a noblewoman. By distancing herself from the feminine, she risks losing her status as her husband's wife and also risks being alienated from her community. Lady Want-Be Politic, on the other hand, is an example of a woman seen as somewhat masculine. by members of society and is therefore often ignored and shunned by men of status. When Lady Want-Be visits Volpone, whom she believes to be seriously ill, and attempts to have a conversation with him, he seems entirely disgusted by his presence, declaring “The Sun, the sea will rather not stop / Than its eternal language!” Nothing can escape it. » (Jonson 3.4 ll. 84-85). Not only is Volpone not interested in anything a woman may have to say to him, but he also seems surprised that a married woman lacks feminine modesty and shows up alone at his house. Her independence is extremely unappealing to Volpone because the empowered women of this community are likely prostitutes. Volpone is not interested in women who are considered promiscuous because he cannot prove his masculinity by having sex with a woman who is not a model of femininity. Yet even though Lady Want-Be is not feminine enough for Volpone, she is in many ways trapped in the same double bind as Celia. When Mosca interrupts her conversation with Volpone and tells him that her husband "rows on the water of a gondola/with the most cunning courtesan in Venice" (Jonson 3.5 ll. 19-20), the future lady leaves immediately so that she can intervene. She is aware that other women who have assumed their feminine role may be more attractive to her husband than herself. This poses a threat to her own quasi-independence, because as a married woman she is somehow accepted into the social realm of the community, whereas without her husband she would no longer be welcome. Although she pushes the limits of her role as a wife, she is not willing to completely abandon her position because without this status she would be entirely alone, with no way to support herself. This cycle of oppression therefore leaves her with only one valid option, which is to exercise her gender with enough effort to maintain her marriage. Lady Want-Be only exercises her gender when she feels threatened; however, because Celia is married to a man who is constantly trying to prove his masculinity, she must constantly remain a model of femininity, especially in her sexual behavior. Unfortunately, she makes the mistake of showing herself in public when a disguised Volpone sells her his miraculous powder. When Corvino catches her in the act, he is filled with rage; declaiming: “You were an actor with your handkerchief!/ Which he kissed most kindly on the receipt,/ And could doubtless return it with a letter,/ And point out the place where you might meet” (Jonson 2.5 ll. 40-43). Although Celia simply handed Volpone her handkerchief with a coin inside to pay for the powder, Corvino considers her public appearance with another man a sexual act. The social implications of Celia being seen with another man threaten Corvino's power and ultimately his masculine status within his community, as she is his wife and therefore his property, over which he should have control. control. In his article on Volpone, Marchitell reveals the reasons behind Corvino's behavior, stating: "Corvino fears that Celia, by cuckolding him, will displace him from his many social ties with men: that he will lose his honor and his place in male society which is based primarily on the domination of women” (Marchitell 297). Although Celia is one of Corvino's most prized possessions, she.