11 years ago
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Renaissance Stage
Due to the practical limits of the Renaissance Stage, Shakespeare has to rely a lot on language to express certain actions and changes in the scene. One could see it more clearly at the end of each scene. In most cases, the scene ends with all the actors leaving the stage one by one. For example, "And so I take my leave, and thank you both." (II.I.422), then Baptista exits. "An old Italian fox is not so kind, my boy." (II.I.427), then Gremio exits. "But in this case of wooing, A child shall get a sire, if I fail not of my cunning." (II.I.434), then Tranio exits. These quotes represent the last sentence the characters made before exiting the stage. Each character would say what they think about the event that has occurred in the scene or reveal their plans for the future. Most of the character would stay and make a closing statement.
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4 comments:
When characters are left alone on stage, they often reveal their inner thoughts or plans of which they do not wish the other characters to be aware. In the example you mentioned with Tranio, Tranio explains that, as the next stage of his plan to win Bianca's hand for his master, he will find someone to impersonate Vincentio in front of Baptista. This withholding of information that occurs between characters is also present two other times before Act IV. It involves Tranio and Lucentio remaining onstage after everyone else has exited in order to discuss their plans.
True. The stage directions definitely have to be written into the script.
Each and every actors shout out(no microphone) their closing statement towards audience on stage. Well, we don't really know how stage was setted or how people acted. But i think all the actors would practiced their monologues or dialogues with in the set of directions.
Shakespeare uses this method to help further the plot. By having each character leave at different times the audience is able to understand what each character is thinking about. Without this method Shakespeare wouldn't be able to let the audience understand what is happening.
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