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In Act II, what are seven clear signs given that Romeo and Juliet takes place in the 1500s?






Expert Answers








  1. Juliet is a young teenager (her father says she is not yet 14). In Act II, scene 1, we see her planning to marry the guy she likes, and not in the distant future. Juliet wants it to happen tomorrow! Those are definitely not 21st century plans. 

  2. Also in scene 1, Juliet is afraid of what will happen to Romeo should the Capulet guards find him. The practice of wealthy people hiring guards to patrol their grounds has all but died out today. 

  3. When Romeo goes to see Friar Lawrence in scene 2, the Friar is mixing up medicines. This was a part of most holy men's jobs back in the 1500s, when going to the doctor was way too expensive for many. Today, medical care may not be cheap, but it is far more accessible for the general public.

  4. Friar Laurence agreeing to marry two teenagers without their parent's permission, while unpopular in the play's time period, would actually be illegal now. 

  5. Tybalt's language when he mocks Romeo and Mercutio in the streets in scene 3 is also a clue as to the play's setting. Most modern-day feuds don't involve bragging about one's sword-fighting skills or challenging each other to duels.

  6. In scene 3, people make several jokes about Romeo being effeminate. This goes back to the Elizabethan idea that being in love with a woman made men more womanly and effeminate, which is not really believed today.

  7. This seems obvious, but the language the characters use (early modern English) shows the time period of the play. On a related note, the many references to well-known characters from antiquity (such as Mercutio comparing Rosaline to Laura and Helen of Troy and Cleopatra in scene 3) show the collective unconscious of that time. 







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