Visions of Venice in Shakespeare

Despite the growing critical relevance of Shakespeare's two Venetian plays and a burgeoning bibliography on both The Merchant of Venice and Othello, few books have dealt extensively with the relationship between Shakespeare and Venice. Setting out to offer new perspectives to a traditional topic, this timely collection fills a gap in the literature, addressing the new historical, political and economic questions that have been raised in the last few years. The essays in this volume consider Venice a real as well as symbolic landscape that needs to be explored in its multiple resonances, both in Shakespeare's historical context and in the later tradition of reconfiguring one of the most represented cities in Western culture. Shylock and Othello are there to remind us of the dark sides of the myth of Venice, and of the inescapable fact that the issues raised in the Venetian plays are tremendously topical; we are still haunted by these theatrical casualties of early modern multiculturalism.

Part 1 Sources: Supersubtle Venetians Richard Knolles and the geopolitics of Shakespeare's Othello Virginia Mason Vaughan Venice, Shakespeare and the Italian novella Daria Perocco Genealogy of a character: a reading of Giraldi's Moor Karina Feliciano Attar Part 2 Political Culture and Religious Policy in Venice and England: Shakespeare and republican Venice Andrew Hadfield 'Self-sovereignty' and religion in Love's Labours Lost: from London to Venice via Navarre Gilberto Sacerdoti Job in Venice: Shakespeare and the travails of universalism, Julia Reinhard Lupton Part 3 Crossing Boundaries and the Play of Identity 'Strangers ... with vs in Venice' Graham Holderness Shakespeare, Jonson and Venice: crossing boundaries in the city Laura Tosi The return of the dead in The Merchant of Venice Kent Cartwright Othello and Venice: discrimination and projection, Alessandro Serpieri Part 4 Venetian Plays and their Afterlife: Merchant of where? The Venetian plays in English visual culture Stuart Sillars Rewriting Venice and radicalizing Shylock: 19th-century French and Romanian adaptations of The Merchant of Venice Madalina Nicolaescu Barefoot to Palestine: the failed meetings of Shylock and Othello Shaul Bassi

Laura Tosi is Associate professor of English Literature at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. She specializes in Renaissance drama and children’s literature. Shaul Bassi is Associate professor of English Literature at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. He specializes in Shakespeare and postcolonial studies.