The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 8.0919.  Friday, 12 September 1997.

From:           Gareth Euridge <
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Date:           Thursday, 11 Sep 1997 09:16:32 -0400
Subject:        Play Locations

Not directly a Shakespeare question, but . . .

Have been trying to find work recently on the significance of "place" in
early modern drama.  I know, for example, that Italy was considered the
home of all things nefarious and naughty, but was wondering if we could
be more specific.  Would there be any reasons why a play would be set
in, say, Florence rather than Venice, Naples rather than Bologna?  Most
particularly, I am wondering about Massinger's _The Unnatural Combat_,
set in Marseilles.  Would this have meant anything particular to an
early mod English audience, or would it have simply signified generic
French-ness?  And what did that mean?  And how was French-ness
constructed differently than Italian-ness, or Spanish-ness?

I have had little luck so far, so would be very grateful for any help.
Please respond directly to me, or, if this thread should live, well . .
.

Gareth M. Euridge

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