In, Around, and Between the Lines: An Analysis of Shakespearean Stage Direction Through "Macbeth" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Indianapolis, IN

At first glance, Shakespeare's scripts seem to provide very little stage direction. For modern directors and actors, this poses significant problems when producing a Shakespearean play. Without direction, how can an actor confidently "strut and fret his hour upon the stage"? With such sparse information in the dramatis personae, how can a director craft a production that complements Shakespeare's original vision? Fortunately, it is as if Shakespeare foresaw these difficulties; he acted as a wordsmith, embedding characterization into his works by way of precise and calculated language. He crafted the lines of his plays to serve as guides for his actors, and he left "clues" in every sentence to give insight regarding how an actor should deliver his lines. His scripts may have a feminine ending or an extra foot in a line of verse to show a character's change of emotion, or repetitive commas in a line to denote a change in intensity. His manipulation of language provides implicit information about characters' emotions, reactions, social status, intelligence, and much more. He uses language to fill his stage, fleshing out his sets with words, not props. Through analysis ofMacbethand A Midsummer Night's Dream, one can clearly see how these linguistic tactics are used to inlay an intricate, detailed map for his actors to follow.Not only did Shakespeare use descriptive language to augment a generally bare set, but he also utilizes grammatical nuances such as verse and punctuation to give his actors all the direction they could need.