Blog #3: Setting

In short, the setting of a piece of text places the collection of words in a set location. The setting sets the tone and mood for entire passage. The setting also allows the reader to visualize what is happening in the story; the story is able to come to life, so it’s not flat words on a page. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, for instance, the reader is aware that the majority of the play takes place in a castle. That being said, the circumstances and the mood of the play change when the setting is altered. For example, when Hamlet kills Polonius, it occurs in Gertrude’s bedchamber. Because this scene does not occur in the main hall of the castle, there is a more secretive feel to the death, hence why most of the characters were unaware that Hamlet stabbed Polonius. Also in the play, when Hamlet speaks to the ghost of his father, the setting is dark and outside during the night. The ominous setting relates to what is occurring the play. Correspondingly, in Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, the tone of the novel shifts as the characters move from one estate to the other. For instance, there is a more pretentious feel at the Pemberly house and a more sarcastic tone in the Bennet’s house. By the reader know what the setting of the story is, he is able to place the situation in the context it is supposed to be in. On a similar not, in Buckley’s performance of Oklahoma, the play was performed with a full set. There is a different feel of the minds eye when there is a complete set as opposed to a solid black wall. The setting is what gives the reader or audience member the feeling that they are part of what is going on in the story. It gives the full experience.