are "stage directions" counted as Literary Devices?

Question

heres my thesis:
In Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett does not rely on the events of the play to express meaning; instead he utilizes curt language and passive literary devices such as repetition and stage directions to comment on man’s bewilderment of his purpose in the universe.

Answer 1

I can't imagine crossing to stage left as a Literary Device.

I know the play and it's been done so many different ways, if Beckett wanted to convey a sense of energy by his stage directions he was doing just that.

Repetition in the text is much more powerful than pacing.

Answer 2

Generally I wouldn't try to argue stage directions as a literary device. In a lot of published play texts (especially Shakespeare plays) the "stage directions" in the text are just notes put in a procuction script by a past director or stage manager.

However, if the stage directions were actually included by the original playwright, then they can be used to support an arguement about the piece as a whole. Do a bit more research and see if you can find out whether or not the stage directions you want to use were written by Beckett himself, or by a director of an early production. If Beckett did write them, then go right ahead and use them! (And good luck with your paper!)

Answer 3

I'm not buying this. The only way your thesis holds up is if you're treating "Godot" strictly as a piece of literature, and not as a dramatic text. I suspect that Beckett would object.

"Stage directions" are just that...they're signposts for actors and directors to follow. But, for an audience observing a production of the play, those directions are only made manifest by the performance itself.

Answer 4

No, stage directions are not a literary device

Answer 5

Stage Devices

Answer 6

The uses of colour and shape and implied texture - visual..