Shakespeare’s Venice.
Shakespeare’s Venice. Explore themes of Justice, Race, Religion, Appearance and Moral Complexity, in The Merchant of Venice and Othello.
Venice, with its labyrinthine canals and shadowed grandeur, serves not only as a setting, but as a character in Shakespeare’s Venetian plays. They reflect Venice’s dual identity – simultaneously a hub of commerce and a stage for intimate moral drama.
In The Merchant of Venice, themes of justice, mercy, and identity unfold amid the city’s bustling mercantile culture. Othello explores jealousy, manipulation, and outsider status against the backdrop of Venice’s rigid societal codes and its uneasy proximity to war-torn Cyprus.
Through both works, Shakespeare paints Venice as a mirror of human contradiction: refined yet ruthless, open yet exclusionary.
This post explores how Venice shaped Shakespeare’s vision and how its rich cultural symbolism deepens our understanding of his enduring characters.
Venetion Plays
Themes Explore: Social Stratification – Deception and False Appearances – Death
Selection of Quotes from The Merchant of Venice and Othello
Photographic Note
Links (internal–external)
This post is a collaboration with guest contributor, Charlotte Seal.
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor.
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he married Anne Hathaway at 18 and had three children, Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. He moved to London where he became a successful actor and writer. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, several long poems, and 38 plays, several of which were set in Italy.
Shakespeare enjoyed great renown in his lifetime and his legacy lives on as the most influential writer of the English Language. Shakespeare died aged 52, in his hometown.
“The Droeshout portrait of William Shakespeare”. Engraved by Martin Droeshout as the frontispiece for the title page of the First Folio collection of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623. It is one of only two works of art definitively identifiable as a depiction of the poet; the other is the statue erected as his funeral monument in Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Both are posthumous.
Why Venice? – Shakespeare’s Venice
It is not likely that Shakespeare ever visited Venice, however he uses Venice’s fame and reputation in Europe to explore complex themes in two of his plays; The Merchant of Venice and Othello. His relationship with Venice would have been shaped by a variety of factors outlined below:
Economic Hub: Venice was one of Europe’s wealthiest city-states, thriving on international trade with the East. Its strategic location made it a gateway to Europe for many valuable goods, such as salt, spices, silks, medicinal substances and precious metals. Furthermore, because of its relative isolation, wealthy Venetians tended to reinvest their profits back into the city.
Elizabethan Fascination: For Londoners of the time, Venice was multicultural and modern – a place of fashion, art, and libertine reputation. Italy was a popular travel destination for many Elizabethans, viewed as a country of romance and intellect. This is largely due to the renaissance literature that reached English shores in the 16th century. Petrarch, Bocaccio and Machiavelli were being translated into English at this time and became common names in England. At least three Italian comedies (plays) had English adaptations by 1600. Among the English public, Venice was one of the most popular travel destinations in Italy because of it’s reputation for grandeur, globality, and refined courtesans.
Resistance to the Papacy. As a successful city-state, Venice has always maintained its independence from Rome. In 1559, shortly after ascending to the throne, Queen Elizabeth I reinstated the Anglican Church as the official religion of England. By the time Shakespeare was born in 1564, Protestantism was dominant, but Catholicism still persisted in the country.
Legal Sophistication: Known for its strict adherence to law and contracts, Venice’s judicial system was admired for its fairness and efficiency (Justice and Mercy). This made it an ideal setting for Shakespeare’s courtroom drama in The Merchant of Venice.
Multicultural Society: Venice was home to Christians, Jews, and people from across Europe and the Mediterranean. This diversity created both vibrant exchange and deep social tensions.
Jewish Community: Jews in Venice were confined to the Ghetto and some worked as moneylenders, due to restrictions on other professions. This context shaped the character of Shylock and the play’s exploration of prejudice and justice.
Symbol of Contradiction: Venice embodied both opulence and exclusion, tolerance and control. It allowed Shakespeare to explore and heighten themes of justice, mercy, race, and identity in a setting that mirrored the moral ambiguities of his characters.
Venetian Plays – William Shakespeare and Venice
The Merchant of Venice (1600) – explores the themes of exploitation, social stratification, and death. The play centres around a Jewish moneylender called Shylock, who makes a deal with a Christian merchant (Antonio), that if his money isn’t returned to him he will be compensated by “a pound of flesh” from Antonio’s body. Ultimately Antonio’s friend’s wife Portia dressed as a male lawyer enacts the humanity of Venetian law and Antonio is saved.
Othello (1603) – Only the first act of Othello (a five act play) is set in Venice, the rest being set in Cyprus during Venice’s involvement in Cyprus’ war against Turkey.
However, all the characters of the play are Venetian, often reference Venice and show stereotypical Venetian traits, Iago especially. This play follows the marriage of Othello, a respected general and a black man, and Desdemona, his beautiful Venetian wife. They are married, despite the anger of her father, and meet in Cyprus after Othello wins a battle. But Iago, the deceptive and ruthless schemer, who is believed throughout to be honest, but is consistently dishonest, hates Othello. He makes Othello believe Desdemona to be unfaithful, causing him to lose his mind and kill her, in spite of his genuine love and goodness.
It seems the exploration of Venetian false appearances and outsider status are transferred by these characters to Cyprus and only heightened in the Venetian strain when isolated on the island of Cyprus.
Both plays use the ethnic dynamics of Venice at the time, to explore race, religion and outsider status; since both are central figures of the play. Shylock and Othello, are of marginalized ethnic groups, which affects the surrounding characters perception of them, generally being less trusted because of their ethnicity.
In short, Shakespeare particularly draws on the social and cultural dynamics of Venice, it being a cosmopolitan centre of trade. Even the romantic aspects of these plays draw on dynamics of trust more than romance itself, and these two plays do not rank among Shakespeare’s fantastical plays. He mostly draws upon the social reputation of Venice during the Renaissance, particularly the serene power of its political body despite Venice’s complex social dynamics.
Shakespeare uses the Venetian system to prove how good and honesty eventually prevails over ambition and jealousy.
Reality and Illusion – 8. Ian Coulling FRPS.
Themes Explored
Social Stratification
The Merchant of Venice. Although Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, is not himself the named merchant in the title (a mistake commonly made), he is nevertheless the central character of the play. Shakespeare presents the racial and religious tensions between Christians and Jews in 16th-century Venice, highlighting how Shylock is marginalized, insulted, and dehumanized because of his Jewish identity. Shylock is undoubtedly the villain, but his moral persuasion makes the focus of the play and the antisemitism used against him makes him sympathetic to the audience, though it remains a debate whether or not Shakespeare himself propounded the same antisemitism that his christian characters do.
The play reflects the deep-rooted prejudices of the time, portraying both sympathy for Shylock’s suffering, yet the portrayal of Shylock reinforces antisemetic stereotypes. The robbing of Shylock’s money and his forced conversion to Christianity by the legal system because of his attempts to take violent revenge on a loan not returned seems to praise ‘Christian morality’ over what is presented as ‘Jewish morality’. However, other moments of the play informs the audience of how perhaps prejudice is informing the general opinion on Shylock’s decision more than fair judgement. This is best portrayed in Shylock’s speech below;
“He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
enemies; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,
what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian
wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by
Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you
teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I
will better the instruction.”
– Act 3, Scene 1
Othello broke precedent by making the hero of a play a “Moor”, meaning a black man. Othello’s most outstanding character trait is his honesty and faith in others; he is highly respected in Venice. Though Othello is absolutely deserving of his beautiful wife Desdemona and powerful military position, it is clear that he has had to go further than others to prove himself, based on the readiness for people to take up against him because of his race.
For example, when Desdemona’s father first learns of their marriage, he calls it impossible for her “To fall in love with what she feared to look on!” and “Against all laws of nature.” Since evil is often associated with blackness throughout the play, and Othello is the most good character, Shakespeare displays how little appearances matter in relation to what is true of a person, in parallel to the many twisting’s of the truth throughout the play by Iago.
Othello’s story examines the destructive power of racism, the fear of the “other,” and how race can isolate individuals in a society that refuses to fully accept them. Perhaps by moving the play to Cyprus in the second act, when the plot against Othello begins, Shakespeare is hinting at the racial harmony that exists in Venice in spite of the racial prejudices of its people, as a result of a political system that promotes equality.
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Reality and Illusion – 9. Ian Coulling FRPS*.
Deception and False Appearances
Othello.This chilling line early in the play perfectly captures Iago’s duplicity – “I am not what I am.” – Iago, Act 1, Scene 1
It echoes the biblical phrase “I am that I am,” but twisted into its opposite, signaling that Iago deliberately hides his true nature. Iago, a Venetian soldier, embodies the darker aspects of Venetian cunning. He hides his true intentions under a mask of honesty, manipulating those around him with skillful lies. His behavior reflects the stereotype of Venice as a city where people wear social masks and personal ambition often trumps loyalty or morality.
Othello, an outsider in Venice, is particularly vulnerable to this culture of deception. He misplaces his trust, mistaking Iago’s dishonesty for loyalty and Desdemona’s honesty for betrayal. Yet it is only when these characters are taken from the order of Venice and isolated on the island of Cyprus that the dark nature of Iago is able to thrive. When Lodovico arrives from Venice and in the final scene he witnesses the exposure of Iago, the truth finally comes to light, and it appears as though it is the political system of Venice that has once again restored justice in the face of dishonesty.
Thus, Shakespeare portrays it to be in the Venetian character to be deceiving, and in the outsider to be easily deceived, there is also a case made for the Republic, whose job it seems to be to expose these dishonesties.
The Merchant of Venice. The conclusion is the same as in Othello. Although Shylock’s violence against Antonio is certainly the villain, there is not a singular character who can be called the central hero of the plot. Even though it is Portia disguised as a man who impressively enacts the law to save Antonio, it is the law itself that guards Antonio from Shylock’s violence because the law is written well enough to exclude violence; “if thou dost she one drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods are by the laws of Venice confiscate unto the state of Venice.” Therefore, whether using deception or exposing deception, the law of Venice seems prepared for the exploitative nature of its inhabitants to establish justice.
The most overt confrontation with appearance versus reality in The Merchant of Venice is in regards to the three caskets (one of gold, one of silver, and one of lead) that the suitors of Portia must choose between in order to win her. This is the origin of the much (mis)quoted phrase “not all that glisters is gold”. The full quote being;
“All that glisters is not gold—
Often have you heard that told.
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold.
Gilded tombs do worms infold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been enscrolled.
Fare you well, your suit is cold.”
Bassanio, the man who chooses correctly the lead casket and whom Portia loves, summarises Shakespeare’s lesson when he says, “So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.” The lesson of the caskets in The Merchant of Venice is that true value lies beneath the surface, and one must look beyond outward appearances to find genuine worth. This aligns with the greater lesson of the play, that greed and selfishness does not bring success or happiness, but rather caring about others. When Shylock’s daughter runs away from him, he cares more for the loss of his money and jewels than the loss of her. Thankfully she finds happiness by being with the man he loves, while in his greed Shylock loses what really matters, and ends the play poor and friendless.
Reality and Illusion – 10*. Ian Coulling FRPS.
Death
The Merchant of Venice.“The pound of flesh, which I demand of him, / Is dearly bought; ’tis mine and I will have it.” — Shylock, Act 4, Scene 1
Shakespeare explores the theme of death not through widespread physical violence, but through the constant threat of it; particularly in the context of Venice’s legal, commercial, and moral world. The most direct reference to death is Shylock’s bond with Antonio, which demands a “pound of flesh” if the debt is not repaid. This gruesome clause makes death a legal matter, highlighting how in Venice – a city of contracts and commerce; life itself can become collateral. The cold, legalistic view of death underscores the city’s prioritization of money and law over mercy and humanity. Thus the threat of death is used not to evoke tragedy, but to critique a society where life can be weighed against contracts, and justice can be weaponized without compassion.
Othello. Shakespeare explores death as the tragic consequence of deception, jealousy, and a breakdown of trust, shaped by the values and tensions of Venetian society. Unlike in The Merchant of Venice, where death is a legal threat, in Othello it is deeply emotional and personal, driven by passion and manipulation.
The central death – Desdemona’s murder by Othello, is the climax of Iago’s deception. Othello, manipulated into believing his wife has been unfaithful, kills her in a misguided attempt to restore honor and justice. When Othello says, “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.” – Act 5, Scene 2, it shows how he internalizes Venetian ideals of justice and control, wrongly believing he is doing what is right.
Thus, Shakespeare presents death in Othello as the tragic outcome of the corruption of Venetian ideals. Venice prides itself on reason, order, and justice, but Iago, a product of this society, manipulates those ideals to create chaos. Desdemona, Emilia, and eventually Othello die as a result – not because of fate, but because trust is broken in a world obsessed with appearances and control.
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Reality and Illusion – 11*. Ian Coulling FRPS. (“Be prepared – Venice is sinking“)
Selection of further quotes from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Othello (Act 1 set in Venice)
The Merchant of Venice
“In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.” – Antonio, Act 1, Scene 1
“I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano, A stage where every man must play a part, And mine a sad one.” – Antonio, Act 1, Scene 1
“Let me play the fool.” – Gratiano, Act 1, Scene 1
“You speak an infinite deal of nothing.” – Bassanio, Act 1, Scene 1
“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”– Gratiano, Act 1, Scene 1
“If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces.” – Portia, Act 1, Scene 2
“God made him, and therefore let him pass for a man.” – Portia, Act 1, Scene 2
“If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces.” – Portia, Act 1, Scene 2
“God made him, and therefore let him pass for a man.” – Portia, Act 1, Scene 2
“Mislike me not for my complexion, The shadowed livery of the burnished sun.” – Morocco, Act 2, Scene 1
“How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian.” – Shylock, Act 1, Scene 3
“How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian.” – Shylock, Act 1, Scene 3
“I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. What news on the Rialto?” – Shylock, Act 1, Scene 3
“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.” – Antonio, Act 1, Scene 3
“I like not fair terms and a villain’s mind.” – Bassanio, Act 1, Scene 3
“It is a wise father who knows his own child.” – Lancelot, Act 2, Scene 1
“But love is blind, and lovers cannot see. The pretty follies that themselves commit.” – Jessica, Act 2, Scene 6
“Young in limbs, in judgement old.” – Morocco, Act 2, Scene 7
“The portrait of a blinking idiot”– Aragon, Act 2, Scene 9
“I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?” – Shylock, Act 3, Scene 1
“Tell me where is fancy bred, Or in the heart or in the head?” – Singer, Act 3, Scene 2
“The quality of mercy is not strained, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” – Portia, Act 4, Scene 1
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.” – Portia, Act 5, Scene 1
“I am never merry when I hear sweet music “ – Jessica, Act 5, Scene 1
“The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.” – Lorenzo, Act 5 Scene 1
Othello (Act 1 set in Venice)
- Scene 1: The scene begins on a street in Venice, where Iago and Roderigo talk about Othello’s secret marriage to Desdemona and provoke Brabantio’s anger.
- Scene 2: The scene unfolds near Othello’s residence, where he is called upon to justify his marriage before the Duke.
- Scene 3 :Set in the Duke’s council chamber, Othello passionately defends his love for Desdemona. The Duke, convinced by his words, assigns him to lead the defense against the Turks in Cyprus. The play shifts to Cyprus for the other acts.
“But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve. For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.” – Iago, Act 1, Scene 1
“Even now, now, very now, an old black ram. Is tupping your white ewe“. – Iago, Act 1, Scene 1
” I follow to serve my turn upon him: We cannot all be masters, nor all masters Cannot be truly follow’” – Iago, Act 1, Scene 1
“She wished she had not heard it, yet she wished That heaven had made her such a man“. – Othello, Act 1, Scene 3
” My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty. To you I am bound for life and education: My life and education both do learn me How to respect you. You are the lord of duty, I am hitherto your daughter.” – Desdemona, Act 1, Scene 3
“Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” – Iago, Act 1, Scene 3
“To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to drawn .” – The Duke, Act 1, Scene 3
Photographic Note.
In the imagery presented in this post and his three others linked below, Ian Coulling creates a new visualisation of the Venetian urban landscape. A single original photograph, together with three other horizontally and vertically reversed images; were combined to form a new composite. Photographs were selected for showing how direct and reflected light, acts at the interface of air and water; to produce the magic, of “reality and illusion”, or in other terms “solidity and liquidity”. Others were chosen, capturing reflected light only, giving a more abstracted effect.
In these composites, a whole new Venetian world opens up and strange image components appear; such as new and rather “fantastical” structures and often biomorphic forms. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. They are best viewed online at a large image size, so that you can really look into and explore the new visual world created.
The inspiration to investigate the potential of the composite image-making process, to explore the effects of multiple image planes, altered perspectives and space in Venetian urban scenes; essentially came from quotes made by artists, writers and poets over the centuries; regarding the “floating nature of Venice, its magical direct and reflected light and its mirror effects”.
Links (internal–external)
See many more of these images and learn how they were conceived and made:
“Depicting Venice – Ian Coulling”
In this developing series, we dive deeper into literary works about Venice; focusing on how each chosen author tackles common themes, and highlighting their most illuminating quotes about the city.
Henry James and the Allure of Venice
Venice – Great Poetry and Images
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare | Summary & Analysis – YouTube
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