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Posted on January 29th 2019
Year 7 Transported to Messina, Sicily
In their English lessons, our Year 7s recently wrote travel articles about Messina, the Italian city on the Island of Sicily.
They had to research the area themselves and create an article persuading others to visit. Having a feel for this sunny destination helps students to understand the atmosphere that Shakespeare wanted to create in his play Much Ado About Nothing, which is set in Messina.
The lovely work you can see on this page is by Iqra (above) and (below, in order) Chloe, Maria and Aimee.
Somewhere more exotic
Art transports us to different lands, whether it's a kingdom far, far away in our favourite book, or a world you can only dream of in a fantasy film. It was the same for Shakespeare’s audience. They flocked to the Globe (or other playhouses) ready to be transported from cold, rainy London to somewhere far more exotic and exciting!
For his comedy Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare chose the warm and exotic seaport of Messina, Sicily. Messina was an old city, even in the days of Shakespeare. It was established by the Greeks in 730 BCE on the very northeastern tip of the island of Sicily. Seen as the 'Gateway to Sicily' from those on mainland Italy, the city was always a bustling trade port and coveted by whoever was ruling the area at the time. Because of this, the city changed hands often and war was pretty common.
During the 16th century, the time period of the play, the area was under the rule of Aragon (spelled Arragon in the play), which now forms part of modern day Spain. This time period was considered the Messina’s golden age, it was comparatively peaceful and productive for Messina and Sicily as a whole.
Why Messina?
So why did Shakespeare choose to set his play in Messina? Because it is a warm, almost tropical setting that is perfect for a comedy about love. Southern Italy's climate would be completely different from that of Shakespeare's audience. Italy, with its connection to the ancient empires, also gave Shakespeare a way to slip Roman gods into the lines, and allowed him to use the history and romance of the area to enhance the mood of his play.
We now think of Paris as being the ‘city of love’ and many romantic films and novels are set there. The city creates an expectations and a mood. The location is recognised by the audience as having certain qualities pertaining to love. For Shakespeare's audience, southern Italy would be their Paris: sunny, warm, and delightful.
Ms Bywater
