Clothing/Costumes in Shakespeare's Time

Clothing, others have too much of it, others can barely afford it, and some enjoy being nude. Costumes, when I think of costumes I think of the musical: Chicago, and the holiday: Halloween. When I think of clothing or costumes during William Shakespeare's time, "ripped cloth" and "dirty shirts" appear to my mind. Yet, in Shakespeare's time, the acting companies spent about as much on the costumes as modern television series.

It was said when French visitors came to Shakespeare's plays, they would envy the clothing the actors wore. If an actor dressed like a King or Queen, they would be dressed as well as the actual King/Queen in the crowd. In Romeo and Juliet, the actor playing Romeo would wear a doublet(a man's close-fitting jacket; worn during the Renaissance). The doublet would most likely be velvet, with gold embroidery... talk about fancy. For Juliet and Lady Capulet, the actors would be wearing silk or satin gowns with gloves, a hat, shoes, and a ruff(a fine quality collar).

In Shakespeare’s time(around late 1500s to early 1600s) you wouldn’t be able to find a costume shop in England. Productions such as Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or Hamlet would look a bit quirky. The fairies for, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, would be dressed in full Elizabethan ruffs and skirts instead of looking like Tinkerbell. However, the wardrobe for the actors didn’t upset the audience, but made them happy to see the actors dressed in proper attire.

Servants were not allowed to wear rich, fine-class fabrics, therefore the employers of the servants would sell their clothing to the acting companies. Clothing was very expensive, which meant most people would wear it for as long as they could. If someone wanted to pass down clothing to a non servant, it was perfectly fine, because people appreciated hand-me-downs. The acting companies would often buy clothes from people who were selling clothing still in great condition. Clothing was a sign of wealth, or the social status the person reflected in.

The cost of clothing was based on the fabric and color. Since there wasn’t synthetic dye, people would use other objects to make the dye. For example, purple dye was created by crushing many tiny sea snails. People would crush a specific type of beetle to obtain crimson dye(a rich, deep red). Cotton was very expensive until the 1800s, before the rise of cotton gin. Cotton was imported from India or the Americas, and was a difficult process.

Children dressed as infants up until the age of three. After three years old, they would be wearing adult clothes, yet smaller size of course. Picture a four year old wearing a business suit in modern day age. Though in Shakespearean time, a man’s outfit usually consisted of boots, breeches(pants), a jerkin(vest), and a hat. A women’s outfit was usually an over and under long skirt, a shirt, a bodice, and a hat or snood. A bodice was a type of vest-like undergarment, and a snood was an ornamental hairnet.

Overall, Europeans did appreciate clothing, and took whatever was passed on to them. Today many Shakespeare festivals and plays still succeed with the authentic look. Cotton today is very common today, yet silk isn’t what we would call cheap as of today. In Shakespeare’s time, and our day in age, many people enjoy style, and the idea of dressing up.

Cited Works:

“Shakespeare's Day: What They Wore.” Utah Shakespearean Festival. 08. Web. <http://www.bard.org/Education/studyguides/shakespeare/whattheywore.html>.

“Elizabethan Period Costumes.” Renaissance Faire.<hhttp://www.renfaire.com/Costume/>.