Illyria

Illyria is another name for the ancient regions of the Balkan peninsula occupied by Indo-European-speaking tribes, including the Dalmatians and Pannonians. Warlike and piratical, they withstood (6th cent. B.C.) Greeks attracted by their mines and later attacks by Macedonians. The Romans conquered them and set up (168-167 B.C.) the province of Illyricum. Today Illyria means the Adriatic coast north of central Albania.

These facts are of no real significance to the play, but the evoked image of some far off region filled with intrigue and love is likely the desired response to the name "Illyria."