"Measure for Measure and the Italian Cinquecento. Intertextuality and Sources: Certain, Likely, and Possible", Forthcoming, "Shakespeare 2016. Interdisciplinary Variations", Roma, Roma nel Rinascimento, 2017, pp. 75-89. (original) (raw)

The essay discusses the chances Shakespeare had direct or secondhand knowledge of Italian narrative texts, possibly in the original Italian version, and also whether Giraldi Cinzioʼs Ecatommiti (VIII 5), as well as the same author's happy-ending tragedy Epizia along with other texts, had any influence on the justice and mercy theme in Measure for Measure. KEYWORDS: Shakespeare, Measure for Maesure;Italian XVI th century Fiction and Theatre; Matteo Bandello-Giovan Battista Giraldi Cinzio. I wish to warn the reader at the outset of this paper that I am a scholar of Italian with a longstanding passion for the greatest of modern dramatists, whose works I have largely read in the Arden Shakespeare editions; by no means is this to be received as the contribution of a Shakespeare scholar, nor of an expert on the matters discussed herein. It is my chief intent to clarify, where possible, matters pertaining to the second constituent in the title, namely sixteenth-century Italian literature, with special emphasis on the narrative works used by Shakespeare, whether directly or by way of an intermediary source (as was largely the case). Needless to say, much has been written on the subject, and much in connection with Measure for Measure specifically – which, besides, is not the most complex instance of Shakespeare's omnivorous use of sources. It should also be acknowledged that an imposing volume of studies has been devoted to the Italian sources of Shakespeare's theatre, by far exceeding the scope of our present review 1. We may be satisfied, at any rate, that Shakespeare was undoubtedly familiar with Italian narrative sources, whether indirectly or directly. While all efforts will be made to rest the argument on solid evidence, inevitable complications arise from a fact it will do well to restate: as everyone in the field of Shakespeare studies knows perfectly well, no copy of a text that ever belonged to Shakespeare (and doubtlessly would have supplied a record of his annotations and impressions as reader) has come down to us, so