ABSTRACT
Shakespeare's interest in Italy extends well beyond its sensational appeal: his Italy is enmeshed with changing forms of self-knowledge and epistemology in post-Reformation England. To explore complexities of faith, especially as they bear on social and gendered relations, Shakespeare turned to Petrarch's erotic imagery, Boccaccio's sexual pragmatism, and Ariosto's responses to both of his literary predecessors. How does one retain faith in others in marriage, friendship, and community when the idea of faith has eclipsed both love and hope to draw on the Apostle Paul? For Shakespeare, Petrarch and Boccaccio explore idealizing and pragmatic views of the beloved, while Ariosto suggests a radical shift of focus to the value of one's own faith.
