Everything looks more official on a clipboard... or in lists?

Since Bryan informed me the questions I was actually supposed answer were on page 1119 of the book, I am going to pick number four for the first blog.  "How is dramatic suspense created."

Oliver: "Orlando doth commend him to you both, and to that youth he calls his Rosalind he sends this bloody napkin.  Are you he?" IV.iii.63.

At this point, two things immediately went through my mind:

1. Well great, now we have a dead major character.  What could possibly happen now?
2. If this napkin has strawberries on it, then I might cry.

So now is the ultimate question that I posed to myself after this scene.  Why did Shakespeare decide to wait two pages until he tells Rosalind and the reader that Orlando was cut, but not fatally wounded?

I have two theories:

1. The first and more probable is that Oliver's demeanor on stage would have given off the impression that he was not in distress and therefore the viewer would be able to logically conclude that Orlando would not have died, but just been wounded.
2. The second and slightly less probable, but probably does have some value, is that Shakespeare enjoys having some suspense in his otherwise bland plays.  This suspense was especially nerve wracking because of the fact that the play was a comedy so the main character should not have died.

Suspense is an evil writer's best friend when writing a play or novel or "short" story.  Not only does suspense add some a new roundness to Rosalind's character, but it forces readers to make an inference based on the current situation.

Suspense keeps me on the edge of my seat.  Note:  That red thing in my book.