Introduction
In order to explore how a play creates an experience
for the audience, one of the elements of the play that should be studied
is setting. Considering where and when the action occurs is necessary
to better understand the play. The play Romeo and Juliet takes
place, most generally, in the cities of Verona and Mantua, Italy, over
the course of four short days. The setting is a representative
place, meaning that the stage represents an actual place. All of
the scenes occur in Verona, except Act
V, scene 1, which takes place in the city of Mantua. Verona
is the home of the Capulet and Montague families. Mantua is where
Romeo
is banished after he kills Tybalt.
A majority of the action in the play takes place out-of-doors in Verona,
from the fruitful Capulet orchard where Romeo and Juliet
profess their love, to the bleak Capulet tomb where the lovers take their
lives. The vision of the world that is suggested by the setting is
social, in spite of the political connotations that arise when the lovers
are told that they are to hate each other because of their names.
The action neither befell a war between states, nor is it an abstraction.
Much of the action of the play is centered on the civil disorder that occurs
between the Capulet and Montague families.
Place
There are three scenes that occur in public locations
that distinctly have to do with the consequence of violence among the families
in the play.(1) The violence
between the feuding families that erupts during these scenes helps to drive
the action forward. The first scene of the play takes place in a
public place in Verona. This scene depicts an argument between the
household servants, of both the Capulet and the Montague families, concerning
which servants serve the better man. Samson, a servant to the Capulets,
attacks Abraham, a servant to the Montagues. Benvolio, Montague's
nephew, and Tybalt, Capulet's nephew, enter the scene. Benvolio tries
to break up the fighting, but Tybalt engages him in combat. As they
fight, Capulet and Montague enter the scene and speak of drawing swords
as their wives protest. Finally, through Escalus, Prince of Verona,
the audience learns that there have been other public brawls recently between
the families.
In Act III, scene 1, Tybalt accosts Romeo's friend
Mercutio,
and Benvolio in a public square while they were searching for Romeo.
Romeo enters the scene as they fight. Tybalt tries to provoke Romeo
into fighting, but he is now married to Juliet, Tybalt's cousin, so Romeo
does not return his insults. Mercutio takes it upon himself to defend
Romeo and attacks Tybalt. Romeo steps between them, but Mercutio
is mortally wounded by Tybalt under the arm of Romeo. Seeking revenge,
Romeo attacks and kills Tybalt. The citizens are up in arms over
the fighting and Escalus enters and banishes Romeo to Mantua under penalty
of death. Finally, Act
V, scene 3 takes place in Verona at the Capulet's tomb. Paris
is first seen at the tomb putting flowers on Juliet's grave. Romeo
arrives and Paris, thinking that he is going to take revenge on the Capulets
by desecrating the bodies, threatens to kill Romeo. Romeo gives Paris
the chance to flee and when he does not, Romeo kills him.
Since much of the play takes place outside, another
aspect of setting that is important to discuss is the weather. The
play takes place in the month of July. July is a month that is characteristically
hot. Tempers are more likely to flare and patience is more easily
lost in the heat. Consideration of the heat may help to explain the
amount of violence between the families. Heat may also be used in
reference to sexual desire. The heat further ignites the passion between
Romeo and Juliet. It is more than just the lovers that are affected
by the heat. Sexual innuendoes are prevalent throughout the play.
For example, the Nurse
tells Juliet in Act
I, scene 3, that someday she will enjoy tumbling under a
man.
Finally, the contrast in setting between Act
II, scene 2 and Act
V, scene 3 is symbolic of the events that take place in them.
Act II, scene 2, is set in the Capulet's orchard. It is here where
Romeo and Juliet profess their love for one another. The orchard
blossoms, as does their love. During this scene, although it is night,
the lovers speak to one another in terms of "light".
Juliet compares their love to lightning while Romeo compares Juliet to
the sun. In contrast, the final scene of the play (Act
V, scene 3) is set in the churchyard at the site of the Capulet's
tomb. The churchyard is full of gravestones that mark the dreary
landscape. It is fitting that the lovers should take their lives
in the churchyard, among the dead.
Time
From Act
I, scene 4 to Act
I, scene 5, the action is continuous. The setting moves from
a street near the Capult's house to a hall inside the house. The
actors do not exit the scene. Instead, they march to one side of
the stage to give the appearance of traveling to the house. This
is testimony to the swift moving action of the play. The play occurs
swiftly over the course of four days. The length of the play consists of
five acts containing twenty-four scenes. The correlation between
the span of days that the play encompasses and the number of scenes in
the play is negatively related. The play Romeo and Juliet is full
of action. The play has to cover four days, which make the twenty-four
scenes necessary, but the actual time of the performance moves quickly
because the action moves quickly.
The first day of the play, Sunday, consists of the
fight between the servants, Romeo and Juliet's meeting at the Capulet's
feast, and Romeo and Juliet's declaration of their love for one another.
On Monday, the lovers are married at Friar Laurence's cell. Romeo
then kills Tybalt and is banished, but he risks his life by spending his
honeymoon night with Juliet. Also, during this evening, Capulet arranges
for Juliet's marriage to Paris on Thursday. At dawn on Tuesday, Romeo
leaves Juliet to go to Mantua. Capulet and his wife then tell Juliet
of her coming marriage to Paris. At once, Juliet seeks the help of
Friar Laurence and they devise the plan for the lovers to be together.
Meanwhile, Capulet changes the wedding day from Thursday to Wednesday.
This forces Juliet to drink her potion and fake her death that night.
Finally, on Wednesday, Balthasar goes to Mantua to tell Romeo the news
of Juliet's death. Not having received word of Juliet's plan from
Friar Laurence, Romeo believes that she is dead. He buys poison and
rides to the Capulet's tomb. While there, he kills Paris and drinks
the poison. Juliet then rises to find that Romeo is dead and she
stabs herself with his dagger. The play ends, late at night, with
the discovery of the bodies by Escalus, the Capulets, and the Montagues.
Night and darkness have an important part in the
setting of the play. Several of the scenes involving the lovers occur
at night. This is symbolic of the secrecy of their relationship.
Romeo and Juliet first meet at night at the Capulet's feast. The
balcony scene, where they confessed their love for one another, transpired
at night. The lovers also consummated their marriage at night.
Lastly, they both took their own lives at the tomb at night.
Conclusion
If the action of the play had not moved so quickly,
the course of events in the play would likely be different. What
if Romeo had not killed Tybalt? The lovers could have then made their
marriage public and possibly ended the feud without any more bloodshed.
If the Friar
Laurence's note had gotten to Romeo, he would have known of Juliet's
plan to fake her own death. Also, if Romeo had waited to confirm
Juliet's death instead of galloping off to the tomb, their lives would
have been saved. Unfortunately, none of these events takes place.
Verona bares witness to the family
feud, between the Capulet and Montague families, which has been
in existence for generations. In a matter of days, however, the feud
finally ends. However, it takes the deaths of five of the family
members for Capulet and Montague to make their peace.
1. From the introduction (xxiv) of :
Shakespeare,William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. David
Bevington. New York: Bantam
Books, 1980.