English 499: Shakespeare in Italy
Dr. D.R. Ransdell
Time: T 4-5:30, R 11-12:30
Orvieto Summer Abroad Program, May-June 2011
Website: ransdell.faculty.arizona.edu
Course Description:
Although William Shakespeare probably never traveled to Italy, he set a third of his plays
there. As such, they make for a rich study for students in the Orvieto program.
Filmmakers too have capitalized on these Italian connections, making special use of
setting in their productions. In this course you will study a variety of these plays in
written or cinematic form, read criticism about setting and Shakespeare’s use of Italian
elements, and synthesize what you learn about this Italian connection in a final paper that
discusses several “Italian” plays.
Materials to Bring to Orvieto:
Othello
The Taming of the Shrew
The Merchant of Venice
Much Ado about Nothing
One play of your choice:
Tragedies: Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra
Comedies: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors (Italian
sources), All’s Well that Ends Well, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest (Italian
characters on an unnamed island), Twelfth Night (Illyrian coast)
5-10 critical sources that analyze setting in these “Italian” plays
Course Breakdown:
Class Presentation 10%
Mini-Analyses (4): 40%
Final Paper: 50%
Note that since this is a college writing course, you are naturally expected to submit
writing that is free of grammatical and mechanical errors; otherwise you will lose credit.
For the class presentation the last week of class, you’ll lead the discussion of a play of
your choice (NOT Romeo and Juliet or the others we have discussed in class) and share
one critical source of that play. On a one-page handout, provide a brief (1-par) summary,
several choice quotes from the play, and several quotes from your critical source. For full
credit, provide us with electronic or hard copies of your handout and your source.
To begin preparing for your final paper, each week you will write a Mini-Analysis
discussing one aspect of the play (in text or film version) in relation to with one piece
criticism. (This means an article, an introduction, or a forward, NOT an anonymous esource.) For your Mini-Analyses, consider questions such as: How does Shakespeare
make use of Italy? How does setting inform or shape each play? What difference does
Italy make? How does Italy contribute to Shakespeare’s creations? Why did Shakespeare
choose to make his characters Italian? Your Mini-Analyses should be around 1500-2000
words each (3-5 pages). Present a controlling idea in your introductory paragraph and use
topic sentences to help readers move among your points. Include quotes from the play
and references to at least one critical source. Edit your work according to SWE—
Standard Written English—and submit your analyses on 5/31, 6/7, 6/14, and 6/21. Late
analyses will lose 1/3 grade per day late.
Your Final Paper should discuss at least four “Italian” plays and include research from 510 sources. Usually you will want to draw quotes from each text you use. Show a
sophisticated understanding of course materials and create an in-depth analysis in the
form of an organized, edited academic paper. Cite sources inside your paper according to
MLA and write a Works Cited page that lists the texts you used. (9-13 pages, approx
3000-4000 words). Due 6/24.
Sample directions your final papers might take:
Italy as character: how does the use of Italy enhance/affect Shakespeare’s stories?
Italy as historical backdrop: how does Shakespeare use key facts to create optimal
dramatic tension?
Italy vs. England: how does Shakespeare’s use of setting compare from one country to
another?
Filming Italy: how do directors use vivid Italian settings to punctuate Shakespeare’s
stories?
Note: While Shakespeare’s plays are widely available on line, you will probably write a
better paper if you have hard copies to work from. It’s expensive to buy material in Italy,
so it would be better to pick up cheap paperbacks before leaving in town; you can always
leave them behind in Orvieto if you don’t want to lug them around.
Critical sources might be accessed on line, but it may be easier to photocopy some
articles before you leave town. Many paperback editions also include useful prefaces,
etc., and you can also pick up critical editions of most of the plays that include multiple
sources.
Technicalities: Double-space your papers using Times New Roman 12. Late work will be
marked down 1/3 grade per class period late. Remember to back up all your work in a
couple of places.
Classroom Etiquette: Come to class on time and don’t leave until class is over. Because
they are distracting to classmates as well as to the instructor, snacks, cell phones, laptops,
and I-Pods are not allowed—with the exception of access of class materials.
Final Note: To aid your understanding, you might try to watch some of the film versions
of the plays. I especially like Zeffirelli’s Taming of the Shrew, Parker’s Othello,
Radford’s The Merchant of Venice, and Branaugh’s Much Ado about Nothing
Daily Syllabus
T 5/24 Introduction
R 5/26 For class: Read Othello, Levith on Illyria, and McPherson on Venice (critical
articles on my website).
T 5/31 For class: Write your mini-analysis on Othello; read The Taming of the Shrew.
Wednesday 6/1 For class: Read Levith on Shakespeare’s Italians and Levith on Padua.
T 6/7 For class: Write your mini-analysis on The Taming of the Shrew. Read The
Merchant of Venice.
R 6/9 For class: Read the articles by Praz and Freed.
T 6/14 For class: Write your mini-analysis on The Merchant of Venice; read Much Ado
about Nothing.
R 6/16 For class: Read Levith on Messina and Raymond on the Two Sicilies.
T 6/21 For class: Write your mini-analysis of Much Ado about Nothing; also prepare your
presentation. We’ll do presentations in class.
R 6/ 23 For class: Start drafting your final paper. We’ll finish presentations in class and
use some class time to workshop.
F 6/25 Final Paper due by 3pm. (Electronic copy in Word or rtf file.) Late papers
lose 1/3 grade per day and will not be accepted past July 1.
Shakespeare plays set in Italy:
Tragedies: Romeo & Juliet, Othello, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar,
Anthony and Cleopatra
Comedies:
Much Ado about Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, The Two
Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors (Italian sources), All’s Well that Ends Well,
The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest (Italian characters on an unnamed island), Twelfth Night
(actual setting not named). Also note that Measure for Measure takes place in Vienna,
but the characters all have Italian names)
Film Versions to Consider:
Zeffirelli’s Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet
Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet
Parker’s Othello
Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (filmed in Tuscany/Lazio)
Radford’s The Merchant of Venice
Branaugh’s Much Ado about Nothing
Possible Sources (available from the UA library):
D’Amico, Jack. Shakespeare and Italy.Tampa: U of Florida P, 2001.
Klein, Holger and Michele Marrapodi. Shakespeare and Italy. NY: Edwin Mellen, 1999.
Marrapodi, Michele, ed. Italian Culture in the Drama of Shakespeare and his
Contemporaries. Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing, 2007.
Marrapodi, Michele, et al., Shakespeare’s Italy. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1993.
McPherson, David. Shakespeare, Jonson, and the Myth of Venice. Newark: U of
Delaware P, 1990.
Other useful sources (mostly available through the web)
Berry, Ralph. “Shakespeare’s Venice.” Contemporary Review 272.1588 (1998): 252+.
Literature Resource Center. Web.
Bevington, David. “The Comedy of Errors as Early Experimental Shakespeare.” Bulletin
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 2003. 13-25.
Freed, Eugene. “”News on the Rialto”: Shakespeare’s Venice.” Shakespeare in Southern
Africa 21 (2009): Web.
Jones, Robert C. “Italian Settings.” Studies in English Literature 1500-1900. 10.2 (1970):
251-68.
Parks, George B. “The Development of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. The Huntington
Library Bulletin (1937): 1-11. Web.
Praz, Mario. “Shakespeare and Italy.” Sydney Studies in English. Sydney, 1977. 3-18.
Web. <http:/scholarship.library.usyd.edu.au>
Parks, George B. “The Development of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. The Huntington
Library Bulletin (1937): 1-11. Web.
Praz, Mario. “Shakespeare and Italy.” Sydney Studies in English. Sydney, 1977. 3-18.
Web. <http:/scholarship.library.usyd.edu.au>
Richmond, Hugh Macraie. “The Two Sicilies: Ethnic Conflict in Much Ado about
Nothing.” Shakespeare Newsletter Spring-Summer 2007: 17+. Literature Resource
Center. Web.
Zeeveld, W.G. “Coriolanus’ and Jacobean Politics.” Modern Language Review 57.3
(1962): 321-34. JSTOR. Web.
Did Shakespeare Visit Italy?
.
Shakespeare's writings suggest that he visited Italy, although no other evidence is
available to indicate that he ever set foot outside of Britain. As for the evidence in his
writing, consider that more than a dozen of his plays–including The Merchant of Venice,
Romeo and Juliet, All's Well That Ends Well, Othello, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, The
Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, and The
Winter's Tale all have some or all of their scenes set in Italy. Consider, too, that plays not
set in Italy are often well populated with people having Italian names. For example,
although The Comedy of Errors takes place in Ephesus, Turkey, the names of many of
the characters end with the Italian ''o'' or ''a'':–Angelo, Dromio, Adriana, Luciana. In
Hamlet's Denmark, we find characters named Marcellus, Bernardo and Francisco.
Practically all of the characters in Timon of Athens bear the names of ancient Romans–
Lucullus, Flavius, Flaminius, Lucius, Sempronius, Servillius, Titus, Hortensius. Of
course, it is quite possible that Shakespeare visited Italy only in his imagination From
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xTaming.html by Michael Cummings