Monday, January 18, 2016

In what month did Romeo and Juliet take place?

In Act I, Scene III of Romeo and Juliet, Lady Capulet and Nurse are discussing Juliet's coming birthday. Juliet happens to have been born on the eve (day or night before) of Lammas-tide, which is a European pagan holiday which became a secular festival after the spread of Christianity. Lammas-tide (or more simply, "Lammas") celebrates the end of summer and marks the first period of harvest. From the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, Lammas has been fixed on the first day of August, though there were variations on when this festival was celebrated prior to the Gregorian conversion.


Lady Capulet says that there are "a fortnight and odd days" until Lammas, which means there are still two weeks and a few days to go before the holiday. With this textual evidence, we can determine that Romeo and Juliet took place around the middle of the month of July. 

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