Question

Select the correct answer. Based on how the stage directions are used in this excerpt from act I, scene I of Richard III, what is likely the main purpose of providing stage directions in a drama?
(Alarum. Enter KING RICHARD III and RICHMOND; they fight. KING RICHARD III is slain. Retreat and flourish. Re-enter RICHMOND, DERBY bearing the crown, with divers other Lords) RICHMOND (Henry VII): God and your arms be praised, victorious friends, The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead. Sir William Stanley. Courageous Richmond, well hast thou acquit thee. Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty From the dead temples of this bloody wretch Have I pluck'd off, to grace thy brows withal: Wear it, enjoy it, and make much of it.

A to provide information about how the characters should move or speak onstage
B to provide lines of dialogue for the characters
C to provide information to the audience about the setting of the play
D to provide the audience some insight into the motivations of the characters

Answer 1

B to provide lines of dialogue for the characters

Answer 2

A) To provide information about how the characters should move or speak onstage.

Usually when a Drama is written it is important to write stage direction so the actors and eventual directors know how it was meant to be. Without the directions everyone would just have dialogue and would have to imagine what to do while on stage, this way you have a cristal clear idea of what the author and director wanted to transmit.