Faculty Sponsor(s)
Laurel Peterson and Tyrone Marshall
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
Subject Area
Theatre
Description
This poster presentation showcases my unrealized designs for Volpone by Ben Jonson, completed for the Linfield College Theatre Program’s Costume Design course taught by Laurel Peterson during the 2016 fall semester. The play focuses on Volpone, an old miser who delights in tricking wealthy acquaintances by pretending to be an invalid and attaining more money in doing so. Along with Volpone (meaning fox in Italian), many of the other characters have names pertaining to specific animals such as Mosca (the fly), Voltore (the vulture), and Peregrine. These names point to unflattering personality traits and make it easier for the audience to understand Ben Jonson’s social commentary about European society in 1605.
My design concept combined animalistic or classic characterizations of the characters’ personalities with a Victorian Venetian setting. In keeping with the dark undertones and somewhat Dickensian plot of the play, I chose to set it during a time strife with poverty, greedy merchants, constraining gender norms, and strict social morals unheeded by those who dared. In my costume designs, I adhered closely to the early Victorian period while also trying to convey the true nature of each character whether good or evil.
Recommended Citation
Moses, Lillie, "Designing Costumes for Volpone by Ben Jonson" (2017). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 37.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2017/all/37
Designing Costumes for Volpone by Ben Jonson
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
This poster presentation showcases my unrealized designs for Volpone by Ben Jonson, completed for the Linfield College Theatre Program’s Costume Design course taught by Laurel Peterson during the 2016 fall semester. The play focuses on Volpone, an old miser who delights in tricking wealthy acquaintances by pretending to be an invalid and attaining more money in doing so. Along with Volpone (meaning fox in Italian), many of the other characters have names pertaining to specific animals such as Mosca (the fly), Voltore (the vulture), and Peregrine. These names point to unflattering personality traits and make it easier for the audience to understand Ben Jonson’s social commentary about European society in 1605.
My design concept combined animalistic or classic characterizations of the characters’ personalities with a Victorian Venetian setting. In keeping with the dark undertones and somewhat Dickensian plot of the play, I chose to set it during a time strife with poverty, greedy merchants, constraining gender norms, and strict social morals unheeded by those who dared. In my costume designs, I adhered closely to the early Victorian period while also trying to convey the true nature of each character whether good or evil.
