Gasparo Contarini's Commonwealth and Government of Venice was a travel guide for Shakespeare's mind.

It would have helped his imagination to wander through the sights and smells of Venice, like his characters Othello and Antonio, the Merchant of Venice.

Shakespeare used this translation by Lewkenor. This could tell him about the Senate and the Doge's forces - features of Venetian life which provde background for characters like Brabantio and the Moor in Othello.
[click here to view the previous page]