ABSTRACT
During the rst half of the sixteenth century the Compagnie della Calza [Companies of the Hose] were at the forefront of the development of secular theatre in Venice. These young men came from the richest and most privileged echelon of Venetian society, but the gathering uncertainty of the republic’s commercial future played a part in curtailing their prospects. The political clout, economic independence, and marital status that they might once have assumed would be theirs by right were gradually restricted, as their fathers sought to conserve wealth and family standing. A portent of Venice’s eventual commercial demise was evident in the shock 1509 defeat at Agnadello, the growing power of nation states, and the discovery of trade routes that could bypass La Serenissima.
