Shakespeare's Italy

I have been reading some of Shakespeare's plays (in their abridged version) these past few weeks and as always found it very fascinating as i was transported to a completely different world every time i read it. Every time you read Shakespeare you discover something new which you hadn't noticed earlier.

Likewise, as i was reading the plays this time one thought struck me - Why an English playwright writing for an English audience set most of his plays in an Italian backdrop. In this day and age of neo-nationalism its hard to find any contemporary writer setting his work in another country ,for instance when was the last time harry potter left England. But Shakespeare's most famous plays were based in Italy probably Greece comes a distant second.Sample this - Romeo serenades Juliet in Verona, The merchant comes from Venice,The two gentlemen are from Verona, The shrew gets tamed in Padua, Ceaser gets assassinated in Rome, Othello hails from Venice etc etc.

Some theorize that he was a sailor in his youth and spent a lot of his time in the ports of Italy while some others argue that he was in fact an Italian immigrant who came to England and became a play wright in the guise of an Englishman (which i find a touch funny). Personally i think there could be two reasons for this.

Firstly, the fact that Italy unlike other European countries until the middle of the 19th century existed as a collection of cities similar to the city states of classical Greece lent itself to portraying drama. For what better place to find warring families,princes at each other's throat than medieval Italy.In his plays Shakespeare showed the vices of mankind which can be more vividly shown in a feudal setup rather than in a republican one.

Secondly the fact that Italians are some of the most passionate people in the world came in handy to etch the characters. For a taste of Italian passion try listening to a bunch of Italians conversing in a bar.The Italian unlike the romantic Frenchman or the sober German was more easy to be portrayed as a passionate person and since drama was all about passion it fitted in well with Italian characters.

Whatever be the reason Shakespeare's Italy is one of the most fascinating places to explore the inner mind and persona of men transcending the borders of nationality,race and time.