I left out three sentences. Thank you very much.
1) There are several reasons why the murder takes place off-stage. First of all representing a regicide on stage was regarded as an offence towards the figure of the king.
2) Second, the open structure of the Elizabethan stage made it difficult to handle corpses.
3) Finally, the murder off-stage enabled Shakespeare to throw light onto his characters’ reactions and at the same time to stimulate the audience’s imagination.
All are fine.
You're welcome! Here's an explanation for each of the three sentences you provided:
1) The first reason why the murder takes place off-stage in a play could be because representing a regicide (the killing of a king) on stage was considered disrespectful and offensive towards the figure of the king. This would have been particularly relevant during Shakespeare's time when monarchs held a significant amount of power and were often seen as divinely appointed rulers.
2) The second reason is related to the physical limitations of the Elizabethan stage. The theater stages during Shakespeare's time were open structures without a backstage area. This means that handling corpses (representations of dead bodies) on stage would have been quite challenging logistically. Having a murder take place off-stage would alleviate the difficulty of having to deal with the physical presence of a dead body.
3) The third reason why the murder is not shown on stage is that it allows Shakespeare to focus on the characters' reactions to the murder and explore their psychological states. By keeping the murder off-stage, Shakespeare can use the characters' responses, dialogue, and interactions to reveal their emotions, motivations, and moral dilemmas. Additionally, by leaving the murder to the audience's imagination, Shakespeare can create suspense and engage the audience's mind in envisioning the violent act, making it more impactful.
Understanding these reasons provides insight into the cultural and theatrical considerations that influenced the decision to depict a murder off-stage in Shakespearean plays.