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Shakespeare & Beyond

The world of Italy in Shakespeare's comedies - Excerpt: Shakespeare and the Comedy of Enchantment

A scene that takes place in Venice in Italy
A scene that takes place in Venice in Italy
A scene that takes place in Venice in Italy

Charles Cattermole. A scene from The Merchant of Venice. 19th century. Folger ART Box C368.5 no.1 (size S)

Italy is the setting most associated with Shakespeare’s comedies, providing layers of dramatic potential that Kent Cartwright explores in an excerpt from Shakespeare and the Comedy of Enchantment.

“‘Italy,’ as an imagined construct, contains heightened civility yet also volatility and danger; at its best it facilitates new possibilities for the self and for human relations,” writes Cartwright, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland. “That imagined Italy stands for the non-realistic and psychological dimensions of Shakespearean comedy and for the plasticity of its environment.”

Read the excerpt below.

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Joe Muzikar — February 4, 2022