"Verona is a prosperous city in Italy. In 1990 it is one of the locations for the finals of the Wold Cup Soccer Tournament."
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"However, at the time when the story of 'Romeo and Juliet' is supposed to have taken place in the 13th century, Verona and Italy were very different."
"At that time, no nation called Italy existed. The region was broken into a number of small city states, with each having its own ruling family, and its own upper class of powerful families."
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"Many of these states were indeed split by fighting between rival factions, just as Verona is split by the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues in Shakespeare's play."
7
"The scenes of the play are typically those of an Italian summer. In particular, Act III, scene i, has sultry hot weather that seems to inflame the passions of the characters until a fight is inevitable."
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"Just as the hot Italian day is shown, so is the warm moonlit night on which Juliet speaks to Romeo from her balcony."
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"The characters too are passionate and hot-tempered, reflecting the environment in which they live."
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"Notice how Shakespeare uses words to set the scene, there being little use for elaborate stage-settings in his day."
