History, Literature and Tourism: Shakespeare and Othello´s Citadel (original) (raw)
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Cervantes and Shakespeare and their impact on the conservation of two Mediterranean fortifications
When popular literature, based upon fact, fiction or somewhere in between, prominently features fortifications it can have a dramatic impact on values, significance and thus conservation. Literature exposes people to places they would not otherwise know and encourages attention, visitation and education. This article describes an investigation into the intersection of literature, history and fortifications. It compares and contrasts the authors Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and William Shakespeare and their master works The Life and Exploits of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha, 1605 and The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, 1603. Both of these masterpieces include the centuries-long conflict between Europe and the Ottoman Empire and fortifications. Cervantes wrote from first-hand experiences and mentions the specific fortifications of la Goleta in Tunis while Shakespeare found inspiration in other sources and only used general place names. Cervantes´ view is from within the conflict while in service to the Spanish Crown while Shakespeare´s view is distant and uses only the Venetian fortifications of Cyprus as a backdrop. Cervantes is widely regarded as the father of the modern novel while Shakespeare is known as the master of theatre. Upon the 400th anniversary of the death of two of literature´s most renowned authors it is fitting to examine one aspect of their literary legacy – fortifications. The objective of this investigation is to understand the long term impact that early literature has had upon the significance of these fortifications and their subsequent conservation.
From Venice to Cyprus: bifocal structure of «Othello»
Alfred Nobel University Journal of Philoligy, 2016
The essay deals with the specificity of dramatic conflict in Shakespeare's tragedy «Othello». The ra-«Othello». The ra-Othello». The ra-». The ra-. The racial conflict, which determines the events of the first act, must be taken into consideration. This collision does not coincide with the pivotal conflict of the whole play. The relationships between these two conflicts and the role of some characters in the creating the artistic unity are analysed here.
Mariner's Mirror, 2012
Cornelis de Bruyn's copperplate engraving of Famagusta, Cyprus, reproduced in Reizen van Cornelis de Bruyn door de vermaardste Deelen van Klein Asia (Delft, 1698) may at first sight seem unremarkable. Upon closer inspection, however, it offers some valuable insights into, and raises some important questions about, the Ottoman port of Famagusta and its relationship with the 'West'. Additionally, it offers the historian a rare visual panoramic of Famagusta's historic structures before the destruction wrought by the earthquake of 1735. The artist's written description of his visit, read in tandem with a critical analysis of the image, is also intriguing and relevant to understanding the seventeenth-century European fear of 'turn[ing] Turks' in this, or any other, martyred realm. The starting point of this essay on de Bruyn's artistic treatment of Famagusta, and on what information we can glean from it, is rooted in assumed acceptance of Lawrence O. Goedde's tenet that '. . . we encounter in Dutch seascapes the great adventure of Dutch seafaring rendered with a detail that fascinates and convinces and invites the viewer's emotional and intellectual engagement with the history and life of that time'. 1
ACUA Underwater Archaeology Proceedings 2018, 2018
The author analyzes the monumental topography of Paphos, a harbor town in western Cyprus, during the Lusignan (A.D. 1191/2-1474/89) and the Venetian periods (A.D. 1474/89-1570/1). The analysis was based on narrative sources (primarily travelogues and chronicles), as well as archaeological finds. These were used to record the activities reflecting its economy, character, and geographical range, its mariculture. The process highlighted the vulnerability of the medieval monuments and the importance of creating a Cultural Heritage Management plan. Potential cultural trails can highlight new areas of cultural interest, consider other under new light, and raise awareness among the public in order to safeguard them.
The Cypriot Voyage and the Complications of Identity in Othello and El Amante Liberal
In Othello and El amante liberal, Cyprus symbolizes the contradictions of the soul. Through a journey of self-discovery, Othello and Ricardo arrive at a hybrid identity, a mestizaje, as they struggle against the "green-eyed monster" of sexual jealousy. The Cypriot voyage in Shakespeare and Cervantes is a return to a chastened social order and to a tragic self-knowledge. Shakespeare's Othello and Cervantes' El amante liberal explore the theme of jealousy in terms of a voyage to Cyprus and a subsequent return to the region that is now Italy. In both works, the turbulence of natural phenomena and Turkish hordes objectify anarchic forces in conflict with civilization. The Cypriot voyage corresponds to the inner journey of self-discovery on the part of the protagonists of Cervantes and Shakespeare. The return voyage reestablishes the harmony of social order. Cyprus is a crossroads where firmly held convictions are lost among shifting perspectives. It is the destination of souls in captivity, a spiritual background that evokes ambiguity, contradiction and the monsters of the unknown. Venice, the foremost commercial and naval power in the eastern Mediterranean during the fifteenth century, acquired Cyprus in 1489. Cyprus represented the limit of * An earlier version of this essay appeared in the 1994-95 Modern Greek Studies Yearbook.
I Teatri Antichi rappresentano una delle eredità più straordinarie che le civiltà del passato ci hanno trasmesso. Straordinaria è inoltre la capillare diffusione di questa tipologia architettonica lungo tutto il bacino del Mediterraneo, come pure il numero di quei teatri che ancora oggi ospitano rappresentazioni e spettacoli. Negli ultimi venti anni, partendo dalla Dichiarazione di Segesta (1995) e poi con la Carta di Siracusa (2004) i Teatri Antichi sono divenuti un importante elemento nel dibattito sui Beni Culturali, stretti tra conservazione e utilizzo sostenibile. In questo quadro il presente volume raccoglie i risultati delle attività di documentazione e di analisi sviluppate sui teatri di Mérida, Petra, Jerash, Carthage, Cherchell e Siracusa nel quadro del Progetto UE Ancient Theatres Enhancement for New Actualities (ATHENA – Programma Euromed Heritage IV), certamente uno dei risultati più rilevanti di questo contesto culturale prima che scientifico. Gli esiti che presentiamo, frutto delle elaborazioni condotte dal nostro gruppo di ricerca sulla base dei dati acquisiti nel corso di ATHENA, sebbene vedano la luce a circa tre anni di distanza dalla conclusione del progetto si pongono in perfetta continuità con esso e in qualche misura rappresentano una prova della sua capacità di proiettarsi oltre i limiti temporali del programma di ricerca originale. Ma più di questo, il presente volume intende testimoniare, una volta di più, la rilevanza delle discipline del Disegno nel processo di conoscenza degli elementi costruiti. Ancient Theatres are one of the most extraordinary legacies handed down to us by past civilizations. The fact they are spread far and wide throughout the Mediterranean Basin is quite extraordinary, as is the number of theatres in which plays and performances continue to be staged. In the past twenty years, beginning with the Declaration of Segesta (1995) and more recently the Siracusa Charter (2004), Ancient Theatres have become an important issue in the debate about Cultural Heritage that has to carefully balance strict conservation and sustainable usage. It is within this framework that the current volume presents the results of the documentation and analysis performed on the theatres of Mérida, Petra, Jerash, Carthage, Cherchell and Siracusa within the framework of the EU Project Ancient Theatres Enhancement for New Actualities (ATHENA – Euromed Heritage IV Programme), certainly one of the most relevant achievements of a context that is first cultural and then scientific. Although this book is being published three years after completion of the ATHENA project it nevertheless follows on from it, especially the data originally acquired by our research group. In actual fact, to some extent it illustrates how the shadow cast by the Project falls well beyond the temporal limits of the original research programme. But it is more than this. Once again this book highlights and emphasises the importance of Drawing disciplines as part of the process used to understand built elements.