The Ensign's Wife

The structure of the novel moves between Emilia's own reminiscencesand details of Emilia's life birth and upbringing told through the voiceof the family confessor. Emilia is from Chioggia one of lagoon islandsof Venice. She is betrothed to and marries Ensign Iago the famous villainof Shakespeare's play Othello. The story moves between the Doge's prisonin Venice and the events leading up to Emilia's arrest for treason against theVenetian state. The descriptions of Chioggia Venice and Cyprus are true to thelayout of those sites from the 1600's and for the most part today. Only slightchanges are made to Shakespeare's storyline to develop the character of Emiliathe outspoken woman who ultimately exposes Iago's intrigue.<p></br>The novel is set in the 1600's in Venice. A possible treason has taken place inCyprus. The woman wounded in Cyprus Emilia is taken under guard to theprison in the Doge's palace in Venice accused of treachery against the Republic.Emilia is the sole survivor of the murders and suicide that have shaken theRepublic and she is implicated for her role in the plot. It is clear that politics willengineer the outcome of Emilia's trial.