Setting not only includes the physical scenery, but also incorporates the connotations from the scenery in relation to the moral, social and intellectual customs of the time period. Therefore the customs create the stage for the audience to understand the context in which the setting occurs. In this way, the setting can divulge the crucial themes on which the author intends to expand upon. Knowing that Pride and Prejudice takes place in Longbourn, it would be ludicrous to ignore the city’s emphasis on social class and reputation. Could 18th century British society provide a context for Mrs. Bennet’s obsessive preoccupation with social climbing? Lurking below the superficiality of her manner, the reader finds Mrs. Bennett conforming to the demands of her society and interpreting them without regard for values, ethics or love.
Evidently, finances and convenience, rather than romance, provide the foundation for relationships and marriage in Mrs. Bennett’s tightly defined world. The reality of having to raise five daughters stresses the imminent threat to poverty. Therefore, in this setting, Mrs. Bennett acts rationally because marriage was not about love, rather about safety, security, and reputation. Even though Jane Austen weaves a tapestry of an unattractive individual who appears to be made from simple, whole cloth, Mrs. Bennett’s superficiality and obvious social climbing skills reveal her as complicated and outrageously ostentatious. Austen’s portrayal of Mrs. Bennett teaches the reader that unattractive does not necessarily mean uncomplicated because her sole purpose derives from her desperation to achieve social status for her daughters. Thus, Jane Austen portrays Mrs. Bennett as a petty social climber, a pestering wife, and an inattentive mother, branding the reader with the impression that she is shallow and defined by the pressures of her society. Reality proves that she is a devious and multidimensional character quite capable at achieving her vapid goals.
Clearly, Austen uses Mrs. Bennett’s character as a canvas on which to portray the established social order of the time. While pretense has always been an important part of organized society, it especially plays an influential role in highly stratified societies such as 18th century England. In Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrates the beginning of social stratification in England, which would soon birth a rigid, yet tainted hierarchy of inheritance. A new ruling class was emerging and it was imminent that the first-born sons of wealthy landowners would inherit their fathers’ assets. King Claudius and Queen Gertrude’s deceptive conduct proved to be the foundation for the dysfunction that was rampant in the Danish court. Their royal relationship, how it began and how it existed, defines the setting for the play, sets the tone, and presents the context for a vengeful plot.
Therefore, the “royal mischief” and 17th century hierarchal society, referenced by Claudius and Gertrude, provide fertile ground for escalating domestic dysfunction. It would be foolish to think that Shakespeare was oblivious to his historical facts and that Denmark was a random location. The king at the time was King Charles, son of James, son of the infamous Mary Queen of Scots. Also, King Charles’ mother was a princess of the Danish Court. Dysfunction in royal families was fairly well known among the common people and suspicious during the 17th century. Shakespeare chose to portray these situations knowing that his audience could relate to the theme of “ Royal mischief”.
