Structure of the plays

Before diving into the specifics of the language, it is useful to step back and look at how the structure of the plays as a whole can inform your analysis. As you know by now, Shakespeare plays are divided into five acts, which are subdivided into a number of scenes of varying length. Some scenes are as short as four lines spoken by a single character (Antony and Cleopatra, Act 3 Scene 9), while some are far longer. For instance, Act 5 Scene 2 of Love’s Labour’s Lost, Shakespeare’s longest scene, is 932 lines, putting to shame the second longest scene, which comes in at just 281 lines (Macbeth Act 4 Scene 3). The acts are also of varying length, with some being just one scene. Once again, it’s important to remember that it was only after Shakespeare’s death that the plays were divided into Acts, so these divisions often aren’t particularly meaningful for your analysis.