The Eye of the Hurricane

Setting

• The play is primarily set in Hamnavoe, which is the Norse name for Stromness, a town in Orkney.
• The community in Hamnavoe is small and tight-knit, where characters like Miriam support their neighbours.
• The setting reflects a closed community, and Barclay, an outsider, is a notable presence.

Agricultural Cycle and Rhythms

• While the story doesn't directly revolve around the agricultural cycle, the setting portrays a place that operates based on this cycle.
• The island's life is intertwined with fishing and farming, as evidenced by Barclay's acknowledgment of living among "simple uncomplicated people" and working according to the "easy regular rhythms of fishermen and crofters."

The setting of Hamnavoe embodies the essence of a small, close-knit community where the rhythms of life are dictated by the cycles of fishing and farming, and where the characters' lives are intertwined with the natural world.