The members of this oligarchy organized themselves into a Great Council of 1,000 to 2,500 members, a Senate of Sixty, a Council of Forty, and an all-powerful Council of Ten. Members of the smaller bodies could arrest, try, and execute people at will. Among the ruling noblemen was an elected chief, the doge of Venice. This magistrate was treated like a prince in accordance with his status as the city's leading oligarch, although his powers were limited. This is the position filled by the Duke of Venice in Shakespeare's play.
The nobles of Venice were involved not only in government but also in shipping, the major activity of the city. Spices, silks, wine, and gold came and went through its docks. Indeed, ships and seafaring were so central to Venice's existence that every year on Ascension Day (a holiday that commemorates Christ's ascent into heaven), the republic commenced a series of carnival festivities with a ceremony in which the doge of Venice, seated in an elaborately decorated boat, married the Adriatic Sea.
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