miércoles, 10 de septiembre de 2014

Was "Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza" Shakespeare's real name?

Shakespeare era Italiano?: That is the name of the Italian book and documentary that proposes the fact that Shakespeare was born in Italy and fled to London at the time of the Holy Inquisition. When I found about this, it really made me laugh but then I remembered that while reading Romeo and Juliet I felt curious about the number of Italian references in the play, such as the names of the characters and places, and the setting of the story. One funny part of the theory that relates with Romeo and Juliet  is that it is said that on his way to London he fell in love with a girl named Giullieta, but their families opposed to their relationgship and Giullieta commited suicide.

Anyway... going back to the theory of Shakespeare being Italian...

Martino Iuvara, a retired Sicilian professor, is one of the supporters of the idea of Shakespeare being Italian; however, a lot of researchers on the field have argued that this theory has little support and evidence. The main arguments against this theory claim that Shakespeare's references of Italian cities and culture are inaccurate, and that his plays contain Italian names and settings but with cultural behaviour that is more proper of the English culture.

When I read this theory and its immediate criticism I couldn't stop making connections with what I learnt while investigating about the Revenge Play: During Elizabethan England, a lot of writers would use their knowledge about  Italy since a lot of changes in terms of knowledge were happening there, so that there was a lot of Italian influence in England. In addition, playwriters used Italian images in order to reinforce the image and/ or steretype that English people had of them.

Therefore, I tally with the schollars who reject the idea of Shakespeare being Italian because I believe that he was clever enough to take elements from a culture that was stereotyped at the time --Italian culture-- so to speak about the issues, costumes, and problems that bothered him about the Elizabethan era. By doing so, Shakespeare would be talking from a safety zone, and as well as a buffoon, he would express his criticism about the society he was immersed in, and would direct it to them without running the risk of being burnt alive.

As it's said in a quotation of Norhrop Frye in a Crush Course by John Green that I will post here:
 "Whenever Shakespeare wanted to write about the problems of feuding nobles, he either set his plays    in the distant past, or in a land far, far away"





Sources:
*Mabillard, A. (2004, September 20) Was Shakespeare Italian?. Retrieved from  http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespeareitalian.html

*Kathman, D. Shakespeare's knowledge of Italy, the classics, and the law.. Retrieved from http://shakespeareauthorship.com/italy.html#top

*Voyager. Shakespeare era italiano? - 1 parte. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmdSFQnNuWI

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