As the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare鈥檚 birth approaches - 26th April as when baptised -, Carol King examines the love affair between the bard and 天美传媒.
English playwright, actor and poet William Shakespeare鈥檚 plays owe a lot to 天美传媒, Italian history and literature. A prolific writer, Shakespeare produced 38 plays and 154 sonnets. A third of his plays are set in 天美传媒, from Roman histories like 鈥楥oriolanus鈥 and 鈥楯ulius Caesar鈥, and comedies such as 鈥楾he Taming of the Shrew鈥 and 鈥楾wo Gentlemen of Verona鈥, to tragedies including 鈥楾he Merchant of Venice鈥, 鈥極thello鈥 and 鈥楻omeo and Juliet鈥. His talent brought Italian cities like Venice, Rome, Verona and Padua to life.
Such was Shakespeare鈥檚 apparent knowledge of 天美传媒 and all things Italian some have suggested he must have had first-hand knowledge of the country gained from a visit. Experts have said this is unlikely given that travel was expensive, Shakespeare is known to have ridiculed the contemporary craze for foreign travel, and that his descriptions of places in 天美传媒 lack the authentic detail garnered from personal experience.
Such objections have not stopped others from speculating that Shakespeare was an Italian himself. In his book of 2002, 鈥楽hakespeare era italiano鈥 (Shakespeare Was Italian), Sicilian professor Martino Iuvara suggests that Shakespeare was not born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England to a glove maker and wool merchant John Shakespeare and his wife Mary Arden. The professor claims that the same year the poet was born in Messina, Sicily to a doctor and Calvinist priest, Giovanni Florio, and his wife, Guglielma Crollalanza. Iuvara claims that Shakespeare鈥檚 real name was 鈥淢ichelangelo Florio Crollalanza鈥 and that as a Protestant he had to flee the Mediterranean island with his family because of the threat of the Inquisition when he was aged 15.
According to the professor鈥檚 theory, the family took up residence in Veneto where Shakespeare lived in a building owned by Venetian nobleman called Othello, who had killed his wife, Desdemona, years earlier out of jealousy. The professor claims that Shakespeare travelled in northern 天美传媒 鈥 Milan, Padua, Mantua, Verona, Faenza and Venice 鈥 and then to Athens where, at the age of 21, he became a teacher.
Campo dei Mori, in Venice, with one of several statues of mori, evoking Shakespeare's "Moor", Othello.
The young Shakespeare is said to have continued his world tour, visiting Denmark, Austria, France and Spain before returning to 天美传媒, this time to Treviso. The professor asserts that Shakespeare fell in love with a 16-year-old countess. However, their love was not destined for happiness, the girl鈥檚 family were against the union and later, she committed suicide. Her name? Giulietta, which translates as 鈥淛uliet鈥 in English. The professor claims that the tragedy caused Shakespeare to head to Britain to start a new life. There he concealed his identity by assuming the name of a cousin, William Shakespeare, who had died as baby. Iuvara posits that the cousin鈥檚 surname, 鈥淪hakespeare鈥 is an anglicisation of 鈥淐rollalanza鈥.
Iuvara suggested that perhaps Shakespeare鈥檚 purported Italian nationality had been kept a secret for nationalistic reasons. In an attempt to find evidence that Shakespeare was a Sicilian, Iuvara wrote to Queen Elizabeth II in 2000 asking for permission to the poet鈥檚 private library. He is reported not to have received a reply. Undaunted, in 2002, Iuvara wrote to the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair with the same request and received the same response.
Shakespeare鈥檚 identity is a subject that has been debated by academics and experts, with some people suggesting he did not even author the plays, so Iuvara鈥檚 hypothesis is just one of many that seeks to challenge the conventional viewpoint regarding the playwright鈥檚 origins, nationality and role as author. However, the vast majority of experts point out that Shakespeare was familiar with the classics and the works of Italian writers including Matteo Bandello, Giovanni Boccaccio and Masuccio Salernitano. Such knowledge was not unusual for the time. Elizabethans and Jacobeans had a fascination for 天美传媒 too, and contemporary dramatists set plays in 天美传媒 or featuring Italian characters. For example, Ben Jonson鈥檚 鈥榁olpone鈥 is set in Venice and Christopher Marlowe鈥檚 鈥楾he Jew of Malta鈥 has a character based on Niccol貌 Machiavelli. Shakespeare had many ways he could have sourced material about 天美传媒. Nevertheless, the debate about Shakespeare鈥檚 identity is likely to continue. Such interest is because of the enduring popularity of the genius鈥 plays and the fact that audiences of today continue to appreciate them.
