Shakespeare's Italian Plays

Shakespeare's Italian plays is a hand painted map of tribute to my fellow Stratfordian.

• An original painting in watercolour, size 730mm x 520mm on 600gsm cotton rag paper
• A2 size signed poster prints
• Digital file for you to make a single print at a format and size of your choice

In 2015, I painted a map of Europe with ALL Shakespeare's plays on to show their approximate location. As I painted, I knew I'd have to squeeze in many plays both in the British Isles and in Italy, where most of his work are set. I knew I'd have make two more paintings - one of all the British plays and another of all Shakespeare's Italian plays. This is it.

About Shakespeare's Italian plays

Deciding what is an Italian play was not as simple as you might think! Shakespeare set many of his plays in multiple locations. In some cases only a little of the drama takes place in Italy, for example The Winter's Tale, Othello, and Cymbeline. The first of those three do appear on this painting, but Cymbeline does not because he already appears on my painting of the British plays.

Shakespeare aficiandos will have their own views on whether I got it right or not! And when they come to create their own paintings of Shakespeare's Italian Plays, I will be fascinated to see what they put where!

So here, you can see: Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, The Tempest and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. I was delighted with my Cleopatra, especially her headdress. And I very much enjoyed painting the swaggering arrogance of Petruchio as he carries off a kicking and screaming Kate.

While I was reaserching the Roman stuff I was intrigued to learn that Romans rode horses stirrup-less.

I also learned that Titus Andronicus is the most violent story in the world EVER. The most vivid Nordic Noir imagination doesn't even begin to match the savagery of Titus. His homemade pie, by the way, contains the meat of his victims. But this lead me to ask the question - did Romans bake with pastry? I know they very good baked bread - but pastry? 

Ciao! And thanks for looking.

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