Question

Read this scene from The Miracle Worker Act 3. (Now HELEN begins groping, sensing something, trembling herself; and KATE, falling one step in onto her knees, clasps her, kissing her. HELEN clutches her, tight as she can. KATE is inarticulate, choked, repeating HELEN’S name again and again. She wheels with her in her arms, to stumble away out the doorway. . . .) How do these stage directions add meaning to the play? The stage directions explain the characters’ facial expressions. The stage directions illustrate the appearance of the room. The stage directions reveal the historical time period. The stage directions describe the characters’ emotions.

Answer 1

The stage directions add meaning to the play by describing the characters’ emotions.

Many of the words and phrases in these stage directions describe ways the body (in this case, the acting) expresses strong feelings:

• "trembling,"
• "kissing,"
• "repeating HELEN's name."

Similarly, the action verbs and adjectives chosen by the author are made particularly emphatic; that is to say, strong as opposed to some less intense counterparts the author could have used instead:

• "clasps" and "clutches" instead of grasps,
• "inarticulate" and "choked" instead of speechless.

Answer 2

Answer:

The stage directions add meaning to the play by describing the characters’ emotions.