Using Act 1 Scene 3 as a starting point, assess the importance of Venice in the tragedy of "Othello"- William Shakespeare.

In the play "Othello", the whole of the first act is set in Venice. Venice is a mercantile city, markets and stalls can be seen on every street; even in the first scene of "Othello", Iago comments that "I know my price," ["Othello"; Act 1 Scene 1, page 3, (1) ] a term that is linked to trade. Venice is a serene and quiet city due to the lack of vehicles; the canals and gondolas are the main form of transport in the city, making Venice a clean and relatively unpolluted city. Venice was the heart of the Italian Renaissance in the 15th and 16th century; new ideas on art, architecture, poetry…