In addition to serving as a character and as a symbol, night also functions as the setting of the sonnet. A setting can be both place and time. The place of this poem is not specified at all – there is a passing reference to "quiet rest," which might be thought to take place in a bedchamber (8). However, the timing of the setting is clear. The poem takes place just as night is beginning, which explains why the speaker is welcoming night in as the poem begins. This setting sets the mood and tone for the poem.