Drama Blog- The Glass Menagerie

#6
The physical effects play an important role in this play. Unlike Shakespeare, Williams has every single detail of what is physically going to happen in the stage directions. I think that this is the case because he wants to emphasize the non verbal communication in the play. An example of the sets and stage movements would be on at the beginning of each scene. In the opening of Scene Two (page 1240), the stage directions explictly reveal the nervousness of Laura and intensifies the fear she has in the scene of her mother learning she has not been going to school. The actions and physical descriptions of Laura make this scene so clear that you can see the fear she has without her saying it out loud. I think that this also reinforces Amanda's effects on her children. Linda is obviously petrified of her mother, and the stage directions and movements make this point even stronger. Also, the Tennessee Williams uses the play's physical effects frequently in the play, which shows he wants to relay the enviornement to the audience. His play is more then just words. This physical part of the play makes it more realistic as well.