10/25/2017

Shakespeare’s Italian garden

William Shakespeare lived between the XVI and the XVII century and he is considered as the most eminent poet and dramaturge of the western culture. His masterpieces are well known all around the world and some of them are even considered as the most influential examples of the man’s romantic ideals of that period, but not only. The performances of his dramaturgical operas are still nowadays dominant in the most important theatres of the world.

If we can say that almost everybody already knew what I wrote in the few lines above, maybe we cannot say the same for what I am going to write in the next ones.

Shakespeare was very interested in flora: he did not hide this passion, but he used it as an active element writing his operas. There are indeed many quotations about plants, flowers with their characteristics and features, sometimes even compared to the human soul. We can perceive this attitude in particular in the operas set in Italy. Did Shakespeare decide to do that because he was fascinated by the Italian landscapes? We've got several reasons to support that idea.

Thanks to its geography, Italy has a climate that allows the growth of many kind of species of plants and flowers. From the North to the South, passing through the islands, Shakespeare was fascinated by all that sceneries that none of them was excluded in his masterpieces: Othello, Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice belong to the category set in the Northern Italy, Coriolanus and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar in Rome, the Italian capital, located in the center of the country, and at last Much ado about Nothing and The Comedy of Errors in Sicily, an island located in the Southern Italy.

I quoted just a few of the Shakespearean masterpieces set in Italy, just to let you imagine how much the author was charmed by this country and its nature. Now let’s take a look to what kind of background Shakespeare expected to give to his “Italian” works.


Romeo and Juliet

Set in Verona, a city located in the Northern Italy, Romeo and Juliet is famous in all the world for its balcony scene.

But has anyone ever wondered which kind of flowers grew in Juliet’s garden?

In that area, spread is the growth of the Achillea, Saxifraga vandellii, Phyteuma comosum and the Saponaria, that you can see respectively in the following pictures.
Has anyone ever imagined that, while the two lovers were falling in love, they could smell the fragrance of these flowers?

The tragedy of Julius Caesar

This picture was taken in Rome, the Italian capital, known in all the world thanks to its history, and located in the center of Italy.


Who knows how many battles have been fought in these ruins?
Who can imagine how many people were there to assist them?

And what about the trees that we can see in the landscape?
They were the most assiduous spectators staying in the first line.

What we see in this picture are Pinus Pinaster, a kind of tree that grows next to the sea or where the weather is temperate. In this zone, it is common to see samples of Hedera elix, Juniperus and in spring Orchidaceae. This kind of greenery is typical in this area, where the climate is warm during the summer and the spring seasons, and not so cold during the winter and the autumn ones.
Below we can see pictures of the plants and trees that I have just mentioned.


Much Ado About Nothing

In the picture, we can see a citrus grove where Shakespeare set this masterpiece.





Can you smell the freshness of these citrus trees just looking at the picture?


Sicily, the island chosen by Shakespeare for this drama, is known for its trees, in particular Citrus and Olea europaea, which are the most important exportation source for the local trade. Indeed, these two elements are the basic foods for the Mediterranean diet. It is not difficult to understand why this scenery impressed Shakespeare so much.



Who would not want to take a walk here, breathing that unique smell, that only these kinds of places
can let you do it? Smells, colours, landscapes, flowers and trees are just a few elements that led Shakesperare to choose to set some of his dramas in this astonishing country. The nature, what sorrounds the characters, is so important for the development of the story and it is has a kind of influence on the reader’s mood.


I want to conclude citing the words of one of the main characters
of another “Italian” drama, Othello, set in Venice.

Iago: Our bodies are like gardens and
our willpower is like the gardener.
Depending on what we plant—weeds or lettuce,
or one kind of herb rather than a variety,
the garden will either be barren and useless,
or rich and productive.
Act 1, scene 3, p. 362




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