The literature of stage directions (or exciting pursuits of bears)
January 24th, 2008
The literature of stage directions is an interesting, and mostly disregarded, subject. Brecht, the German playwright, was perhaps the only person to make his actors say his stage directions out loud, in many ways to distance (or ‘alienate’) the performers from the play and setting. In all other circumstances, stage directions are a soft or hidden aspect of literature.
Shakespeare’s most famous, and the most famous in stage direction literature, is the line “Exit, pursued by a bear” (The Winter’s Tale III.iii). It’s fame is possibly due to it’s peculiarity in sound and meaning. It’s so matter-of-fact and yet so unreal (why, for instance, the choice of the word ‘pursued’ instead of ‘followed’ or ‘chased’). (Apparently the word ‘pursue’ comes from the Latin prosequi meaning ‘prosecute’ making an interesting comparison between judges and bears.)
Perhaps the lack of interest in stage directions is because they are soporific if spoken or known. Ben Jonson’s Volpone, for instance, has the directions ‘Enter Mosca, introducing Voltore with a piece of plate’ (I.ii). Clearly very boring, and making the audience out for a bunch of shmucks by stating the obvious (thinking deeper, however, one is reminded of how the obviousness is a direct result of them being written. Similar to looking into a mirror and seeing your face).
In the modern era we have Beckett, who uses more exciting stage directions. In Beckett the stage directions take over from the words of the play, creating the sense of meaningless as the audience is left to interpret the actions. For instance at once point we read the directions ‘…Brief ring of alarm off. Enter Clov with alarm-clock. He holds it against Hamm’s ear and releases alarm. They listen to it ringing to the end. Pause’ (Endgame, Somewhere between the beginning and end). Here the interesting aspect is that the audience does not get a chance to read the directions, and the actions of the players don’t explain them any better. Beckett is thus the antithesis of Brecht, as his stage directions are the most silent of them all.
Exit.