What is an Aside?

Shakespeare makes full use of dramatic devices as a means of revealing to the audience what is in the mind of a character. However, he is quite sparing with the use of asides, so it is important to take note when one appears! During an aside, the character engages in direct dialogue with another character or the audience and no one else on stage can hear them. An aisde is not necessarily always to the audience, but unless indicated by stage directions, it would imply the aside is for the audience’s ears only.

-How does this effect the audience’s relationship witht that chracter?

-Does it make them complicit in the character’s plans and thoughts…does it make them an ally of sorts?

-This is a great resource to dig deeper into the nature of asides in Shakespeare with some great activities to try as well: Asides Deep Dive