Marco Polo- An Exploratory Essay

Many children, including myself, have once played the game Marco Polo. Although, I have always been curious, who exactly is Marco Polo? My fascination of Marco Polo warped into a fixation of his travels. Marco Polo was born in Venice in the year 1254. His father, Nicolo, and his uncle, Maffeo, were merchants who had seats in the great nobleman council of Venice (Polo IV). According to his records, he had traveled thousands of miles with his father and uncle.

Marco, Nicolo and Maffeo (known as the Polos) left Venice, and did not return for twenty-six years. Upon their return, they were not welcomed in Venice. The Polos were long thought to have been dead. When they arrived in Venice, their clothes were old and worn-out; the things that they carried were from the east and their faces showed of great hardship (Hart 2). The travels of the Marco and the Polos were so foreign, extravagant and impacting, that upon their return to Venice their own people could not even recognize them. The Polos returned from the east, “Back from the Deserts of Persia, back from the lofty steeps of Pamir, from mysterious Tibet, from the dazzling court of Kublai Khan, from China, Mongolia, Burma, Siam, Sumatra, Java; back from the Ceylon, and back from India, the land of myth and marvels” (Polo lV). Marco was exposed to whole other cultures and things that had never been seen before by his own people. At the beginning of his journey, he had to idea as to where he was heading; hence the game that many children of my generation once played (Waugh llV). Marco encountered oil near the Caspian Sea, a foreign commodity to him at that time, “This oil is not good to eat [Like olive oil]. People come from long distances to fetch it and put it to its multiple uses...

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... [New ed. New York: Liveright ;, 2003. Print. This source tells the reader about the tales of Marco Polo's travels, but it also goes in depth into the troubles that Marco Polo faced once he did return. This sources tells the reader about the people the critics who questioned Marco's work. This source also tells the reader about the challenges the Polos faced, trying to return to Venice after having been away for so long.

Waugh, Teresa. The Travels of Marco Polo. New York: Sidgwick and Jackson Limited, 1984. Print. This source tells the reader about the specific locations that Marco polo traveled and explored. Each chapter and division in this source goes in depth into a different location; as well as providing visuals. This source has a lot of good information pertaining to the imprisonment of Marco Polo, and the scribe who recorded Marco's tales of his travels.