Law of reentry

The law of reentry is a traditional rule in theatre that a character who leaves in one scene should not immediately appear in the next scene. Writer Bill Bryson describes it as "almost the only 'rule' in London theatre that was still faithfully followed" in the time of Shakespeare, though Shakespeare himself sometimes broke it. This, for instance, led in Richard II to John of Gaunt making an "abrupt and awkward departure purely to be able to take part in a vital scene that follows".

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