“The Merchant of Venice” and “Othello: The Moor of Venice” provide a glimpse into a global early modern period that is often overlooked by lovers of the bard from cozy Stratford-Upon-Avon. Shakespeare set as many of his plays in Italy as he did in England, and this was not an accident. In Shakespeare’s time, Italy, not yet a unified country, was a geographical center of many important trade routes and diverse societies. In contrast, England, with its multiple exclusion acts, must have felt provincial and isolated for a man who loved dramatic stories. Dr. Romanelli’s talk will discuss first Othello and Portia’s suitors as creations born from changing understandings of Africa, and the law in “The Merchant of Venice” as a character that devolves from valuing the lively market its diversity brings to viewing outsiders as less than human. Dr. Romanelli will also share pictures of Venice from a recent study abroad program to show the beautiful city where these plays are set in part.


LLI Coordinator: Eileen Roach