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.