Question

MRS. HALE (examining the skirt). What does the word “examining” mean in the stage direction? checking for flaws looking very closely searching for clues

Answer 1

"Mrs Hale (examining the skirt) is trying to show an activity which Mrs Hale is doing at the time. Here it signifies looking very closely.

While a screenplay is written, activities which need to be shown are given in brackets. These signify a certain silent action without words. Thus, Mrs Hale here is looking at her skirt very closely as if examining it.

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