What are the underlying themes of Lion of St. Mark?
• I think there are several. First, on an individual level, with very few exceptions, no one person is entirely bad or entirely good. What distinguishes the mostly good from the mostly bad is; what do they do when under stress, or in times of crisis? I’ve always been intrigued by two thoughts. “An honest man does the right thing when no one would know if he did” and “Even a gangster is capable of loving and protecting his children”. The human species is truly strange. I’ve tried to portray characters as truly human — so sometimes they can amaze. Second, on a grand scale, the Venetians possessed something envied by the rest of the world — a rich culture and a more affluent way of life, for their time, that touched not just the oligarchs but many common folk as well. This was made possible by their unique republican form of government, economic industriousness and prowess, and their collective talent for survival. The Venetians were also blessed by some capable leaders and a government o
