'What Are You?': The Staging of Messenger-Function in Antony and Cleopatra

Messengers have more vital roles in Antony and Cleopatra than in any other play of the period, and an investigation of staging issues relating to messenger-function in the play demonstrates the need to give more attention to the agency of messengers in early modern drama. There is evidence for the instant recognizability of messengers-by-trade – by way of costume, accessories, and/or manner – and this recognizability is associated with their metatheatrical function of revealing 'truth' in association with crises of identity and authority. Messenger parts offer useful verbal and non-verbal opportunities for inexperienced actors, and may sometimes have been used for apprentice-training.