parasite he clings to Volpone's wealth and status As the story unfolds he tries to take over Volpone s wealth The audience sees that Mosca not Volpone is the true mastermind Cunning and Deceptive Mosca is highly intelligent and a skilled manipulator He helps Volpone to deceive the legacy-hunters Voltore Corbaccio and Corvino In the play Volpone is an old and wealthy man He has no heirs So Voltore Corbaccio and Corvino each man tries to impress him with valuable gifts so that he can inherit Volpone s fortune Mosca uses his cunning to loot the legacy-hunters He promises all three that they will inherit Volpone's property and take their valuable gifts He takes an antique precious plate from Voltore a bag of gold coins from Corbaccio and a pearl and diamond from Corvino Opportunistic Throughout the play Mosca shows an opportunistic nature He is always looking for ways to benefit more After taking a bag of gold coins from Corbaccio Mosca further manipulates him He convinces him to disinherit his own son Bonario He tells him to give his property to Volpone Mosca also informs Volpone about Corvino s beautiful wife Celia He describes Celia in the following manner O sir the wonder The blazing star of Italy a soft lip Would tempt you to eternity of kissing Later Mosca convinces Corvino to send his wife to Volpone s bed He says this will heal Volpone and Corvino will gain his favour Charismatic Mosca possesses a charismatic personality His charismatic personality allows him to easily gain the trust of others He convinces all three legacy hunters that they will be the heirs of Volpone after his death In Act Scene Mosca recognizes himself as the mastermind behind Volpone's successful scam I fear I shall begin to grow in love with my dear self Betrayer Mosca's ambition knows no bounds He is willing to betray even his master He always wants an opportunity to rise to power and wealth Mosca says I'll bury him Volpone or gain by him I am his heir In this line Mosca decides to double-cross his master He even wants to bury Volpone to get his fortune As the play unfolds we see that Volpone wants to tease the legacy-hunters So he declares himself dead and wills his property in Mosca s name to see the disappointment in the face of legacy hunters Mosca jumps on this opportunity As he is the owner of the property now he banishes Volpone from his own house It becomes clear that Mosca s loyalty is superficial He betrays his master for his own gain Comic and Tragic Elements Mosca's character is a blend of comic and tragic elements His cunning and the absurdity of his schemes provide much of the play's humor However his eventual downfall adds a tragic dimension At the end every greedy person is punished Mosca is whipped and sent away to a ship as a slave His avarice excessive greed leads to his downfall In conclusion Mosca is a parasite servant a master manipulator whose ambition knows no bounds He even tricks his own master His downfall points to the moral of the play avarice leads to moral decay deception and ultimately downfall