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Why does shakespeare base so many of his plays in Italy?

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[that was a load of old tripe, sorry :p:]
Oi
Reply 22
Avatar for BabsyBaker
BabsyBaker
Because Italy is a country of oil...they are hot blooded and more passionate. Whereas England and Denmark etc are countries of butter and less passionate. As a general guide.
And of course as someone said earlier the Catholicism.
Reply 23
Avatar for symphonic
symphonic
Cause Italy rules? Duh :p:
Reply 24
Avatar for Angelica
Angelica
10
Lidia
I believe he based a lot of his work on stories from Italy. !


I always just assumed that was probably one of the main reason. For instance, Romeo and Juliet was originated from a poem by an Italian poet so it makes sense that the play was based in Italy.
Reply 25
Avatar for Lidka
Lidka
13
Angelica
I always just assumed that was probably one of the main reason. For instance, Romeo and Juliet was originated from a poem by an Italian poet so it makes sense that the play was based in Italy.


Yup. :smile: I think a lot of his plays were based on more than one story too - poems and plays as well as folk tales. He was an enterprising bloke.
Reply 26
Avatar for Picnico
Picnico
'Why does shakespeare base so many of his plays in Italy?'

Since you assure me that the man still lives, I will ask him to set his next one somewhere else for a change!
Italy is Italy.
I (Think) Italy (Rome) was a mammoth superpower then, both culturally and militaristically, hence it made sense to base them there.
Reply 29
Avatar for Chezua
Chezua
12
i've got a silly question:redface: how did shakespeare come to know a lot about these stories from 'abroad'? (most of his plays aren't 100% genuine after all). i mean, has he been to venice etc?:eek:

his plays are...genius:redface:
Reply 30
Avatar for Lidka
Lidka
13
Chezua
i've got a silly question:redface: how did shakespeare come to know a lot about these stories from 'abroad'? (most of his plays aren't 100% genuine after all). i mean, has he been to venice etc?:eek:

his plays are...genius:redface:


No one is quite sure whether or not he went to Italy before he turned up in London, but he knew Italian, I think. He had a good grammar school education, so a lot of his classical stuff was taken from Ovid.

I don't think you mean 'genuine', because of course they're genuine! :p: Just because he used sources doesn't make the work fake. 'Not 100% original' would be a better way to describe them.
Reply 31
Avatar for Chezua
Chezua
12
^ yeah well okay:redface: still, 'the merchant of venice' isn't something he made up, right?
Reply 32
Avatar for Lidka
Lidka
13
Chezua
^ yeah well okay:redface: still, 'the merchant of venice' isn't something he made up, right?


I don't know, to be honest. I know the story of choosing a husband by testing them with three caskets was from a folk tale, but I don't know about the rest. The Arden editions are normally good for finding out that sort of thing.
My answer to this question: Hmmmm.... Italy.... eh... Why Not!
Reply 34
Avatar for danjc15
danjc15
1
not true

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