Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a French philosopher, social activist and master of mysticism in the 20th century. Venice Saved is the only tragedy she wrote in her life.

The story of "Venice Saved" is based on a historical event recorded by Brother Saint Leiral in 1618, namely, "The Spanish Rebellion against the Republic of Venice". In the early 17th century, the Spanish Habsburg dynasty was at its peak. In order to achieve the goal of bringing the Republic of Venice under its rule, it secretly planned a rebellion. At the eve of the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, all European countries had standing mercenaries. The Spaniards bribed most of the mercenaries stationed in Venice and several foreign officers, planning to raid Venice on the eve of Pentecost. Gabriel, one of the commanders of the action plan, informed the Ten-Man Committee of Venice out of pity, causing the action to fail and all the rebels to be executed that night. Gabriel himself was expelled from Venice.

This tragedy consistently revolves around the basic human issues that Weil has always been concerned about. These two sentences can serve as evidence: "Pity is fundamentally a divine quality; there is no human pity; pity implies a kind of infinite distance; there can be no sympathy for people and things next to you." "For the first time since ancient Greece, the tragic tradition of the perfect hero has been revived." To a certain extent, these two sentences are also the starting point for understanding and thinking about "Venice Saved".

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