This article discusses the stage directions indicating the spoken performance of lines in Cankar’s comedy Za narodov blagor (For the Good of the Nation). Numerous stage directions of this type (e.g., pathetically, slowly, quietly, coldly, and decisively) and descriptions of activity audible off stage (e.g., talking and laughing outside) emotionally color the linguistic semantics and give voice to political phrasing, confirming the subtlety of Cankar’s language and his sense for effectiveness on stage.
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