KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS

SETTING

The play is set in two Italian cities, Verona and Milan. Towards the end, the scene shifts to a forest on the frontier of Mantua. When the play opens, the geographical location is Verona, and the entire action of Act I takes place in the play's titular city. Act II opens in the Duke's palace in Milan. Within the second act, the scene shifts back and forth from Milan to Verona. Act III begins in the Duke's palace in Milan, where the entire Act is played. In Act IV, the scene shifts to a forest on the frontier of Mantua. The rest of the act is played under Silvia's window in Milan. In the closing act, there is a return to the outskirts of Milan with the final scene taking place near Valentine's cave in the forest.

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