Skip to main content

How is the setting of Verona, Italy important for the play Romeo and Juliet?

Renaissance Italy was full of noble families feuding with one another for honor, fame, glory, influence, and wealth! Families like the Medici, Borgia, and Pazzi used their wealth to buy favors in government, have people killed, pay off the Church to forgive or forget sins, and commission new buildings and works of art to earn public approval. This fighting was primarily carried out by trying to one-up each other in the public eye, but sometimes...

Renaissance Italy was full of noble families feuding with one another for honor, fame, glory, influence, and wealth! Families like the Medici, Borgia, and Pazzi used their wealth to buy favors in government, have people killed, pay off the Church to forgive or forget sins, and commission new buildings and works of art to earn public approval. This fighting was primarily carried out by trying to one-up each other in the public eye, but sometimes it spilled over into literal bloodshed. Especially where young noblemen were concerned, fights occasionally broke out in the street between members of two opposing families.


Verona, as a major city and center of wealth in Renaissance Italy, surely had its fair share of warring noble families. It is unknown whether Shakespeare ever actually visited Verona or chose this setting for some other reason, but the location provides a perfect cultural backdrop for his tale of star-crossed lovers. As we learn in the play, the Capulet and Montague families have been enemies for a long time and this conflict has experienced resurgence. Nonetheless, young Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love, though they do not know at first that they are sworn enemies!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is hyperbole in the story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his... The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him plu
Post a Comment
Read more

How can I analyze Moon and Six Pence by Somerset Maugham?

In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of... In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of that society. His decision to e
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some literary devices in Macbeth, Act V, Scene 1?

Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not... Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh, oh! (5.1.53-55) Hyperbole - Obvious exaggeration  There is also h
Post a Comment
Read more