This question was asked of us as students at Port Arthur Collegiate Institute as part of our English lessons.
Is Shakespeare, as a displanted Italian supposed to explain the many Italian plays, characters with Italian names, and references?
It has been suggested that he was actually born in Messina, Sicily, not too far from Simbario, Catanzaro, as Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza. His parents were not John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, but were Giovanni Florio, a doctor, and Guglielma Crollalanza, a Sicilian noblewoman.
Does this perhaps begin to explain that many of the plays feature Italy and/or Italian names, such as:
Romeo and Juliet
Othello
Two Gentlemen of Verona
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice
Much Ado about Nothing
The Taming of the Shrew
All's Well that Ends Well
Measure for Measure
Julius Caesar
The Winter's Tale
The Tempest
It is rather impressive that Italy and Italian names are so widespread in Shakespeare. It makes you wonder ?
A professor in Italy claims that Shakespeare was Italian from Messina Italy.
The Times of London, April 8th, 2000, reported that Martino Iuvara, a retired literature teacher, believes Shakespeare was actually Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza, who escaped to England during the Inquisition.
Shakespeare is supposedly the literal translation of Crollalanza.
Some details of Crollalanza's life are eerily close to the characters and places that occupy Shakespeare's plays and might explain the predominance of Italian names and places in many of Shakespeare's plays.
In another write up the author, Amanda Mabillard writes the following:
"Retired Sicilian professor Martino Iuvara claims that Shakespeare was, in fact, not English at all, but Italian. His conclusion is drawn from research carried out from 1925 to 1950 by two professors at Palermo University. Iuvara posits that Shakespeare was born not in Stratford in April 1564, as is commonly believed, but actually was born in Messina as Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza. His parents were not John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, but were Giovanni Florio, a doctor, and Guglielma Crollalanza, a Sicilian noblewoman. The family supposedly fled Italy during the Holy Inquisition and moved to London. It was in London that Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza decided to change his name to its English equivalent. Crollalanza apparently translates literally as 'Shakespeare'. Iuvara goes on to claim that Shakespeare studied abroad and was educated by Franciscan monks who taught him Latin, Greek, and history. He also claims that while Shakespeare (or young Crollalanza) was traveling through Europe he fell in love with a 16-year-old girl named Giulietta. But sadly, family members opposed the union, and Giulietta committed suicide.... "
She goes on to write, "Granted, the above similarities between Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza and Shakespeare are intriguing, but for now I remain unconvinced."
The question was posed to us as students at Port Arthur Collegiate Institute as part of our English exam questions, and it appears the internet will hopefully bring to light some of the details surronding the origins of these plays.
