Both Othello and Volpone are set in Venice, well known for its wealth, power, and justice. Shakespeare called Venice the Whore of the Adriatic, for many different reasons: it is a port city, with many ships coming and going; it is also a corrupt city , with much pollution--not only of the actual enviornment but the soul as well. In Volpone the corruption that is planned between Volpone and Mosca is evident from the beginning. The …showed first 75 words of 384 total…

…showed last 75 words of 384 total…to his wife. In Othello the prostituting of Desdemona is not as base; all of it is Iago's lies. Iago tells Desdemona's father that Othello is taking advantage of Desdemona. The statement is a total lie, however, as Othello and Desdemona are very much in love and very much married. In both of these scenes, exactly who the Whore of the Adriatic is is brought to life on stage, but is still hard to define.