Function of Setting in Man of La Mancha

Setting, Good or Bad in Man of La Mancha?

The setting of a book or play plays a very important role as to whether a book succeeds or fails to catch the attention of the reading public. The setting in Man of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes played an important role in catching the imagination and attention of the reader. The book had three specific functions that allowed the reader to become closer to the story and they were: the transition from setting to setting, the atmosphere and mood expressed in the different settings, and the absurd contrast between mainly two of the settings. The setting in Man of La Mancha helps understand the characters with a lot more depth and view the scenery through the imagination of the reader.

Getting a reader to follow along with the story along with character depth in a piece of writing is hard to develop which leads authors into using setting transition to further develop characters as well as helping the reader follow the plot. The transition from one setting to another in Man of La Mancha helped the reading public understand the characters. The unpredictability of when the story would change to a different setting represents the craziness of Don Quixote. Don Quixote like the setting was very unpredictable, and it was made easier for the reader to relate to Don Quixote. The transition in this book also forced the reader to concentrate. Miguel de Cervantes wrote the book with three storylines happening at the same time, if the reader does not concentrate on what is happening it is very easy for the reader to become unaware of the story since it went from setting to setting. Another great function of transition in literary works, also portrayed in Man of La Mancha is that Cervantes used the transition to create Irony as he created huge contrast between going back and forth from “the castle” (pg.16 line 17) as Don Quixote sees it , and “an Inn” (pg.17 line 8) as all other characters see it. This adds comedy to the play, through another function of setting which is contrast. Linking setting functions together makes a story feel more live and adds qualities which cannot be depicted by anything else.

The setting in literary works when used effectively portrays specific qualities in the mood and atmosphere around the characters; this is often found through what the characters say, what the characters do, or how the setting is described. In Man of La Mancha the setting displayed characters’ emotions very clearly, and set the mood for the story. In the introduction of the play the setting is oppressing, isolated, and dark, and is described as, “The common room of a stone prison vault whose furthest reaches are lost in shadow….A trap in the floor may be raised to permit access to a level still lower”(Pg.3 paragraph 2) by Cervantes. This allows the reader to picture the prison in their mind and also sends a sad mood and atmosphere into the reader’s head. Cervantes also used character emotions to set certain moods and atmospheres. When Cervantes began to put on the play in the prison, “the prisoners giggle appreciatively as the transformation from Cervantes into Don Quixote is about to take place”, (Pg. 12 Line 3). This description allowed the reader to picture a much happier prison and the happiness Cervantes was putting into their lives just by putting on his defence, it also set up an almost joyful atmosphere. The Man of La Mancha also described the setting through the spoken words of the characters. Towards the end of the book Quixote and Aldonza say,

“Aldonza yes…