Costumes.
Lear.—Long shirt of yellow stuff or merino, with wide sleeves,
reaching to the feet, and trimmed with dark fur, circular mantle of
crimson stuff, fastened at the throat with a jewelled brooch, a gold
and jewelled coronet crown over a caul cap of crimson stuff, a long
gilt staff, buskins, white hair and beard. Second Dress: The same
without the robe. Third Dress: Plain dark shirt to the feet, with
wide sleeves.
France.—Long crimson shirt, purple circular mantle, long hair,
buskins, and coronet crown of gold.
Albany.—Plaid shirt of green and blue squares, buskins with
thongs of leather nearly to the knee, flesh legs, open breastplate of
cross pieces of brass, brazen winged helmet, and sword. Second
Dress: Purple mantle trimmed with white fur, and coronet of gold.
Third Dress: Helmet, coat of mail formed of brass plates, leather
shield with bosses of brass, fair hair, moustache, and beard.
Cornwall.—Loose hood and neck covering of tanned leather,
shirt of mail formed of steel plates, leather gauntlets, buskins with
leather thongs, flesh legs, circlet of twisted bullion, long hair and
beard, and a sword. Second Dress: Coronet crown, and crimson
robe, fastened on throat with gold brooch.
Gloster.—Long black cloth shirt with hood, reaching to the
middle of the leg, buskins, fleshings, neck and shoulder piece of
steel plates, narrow cord of gold round the head, belt of leather
round the waist and sword, dark hair and long beard, bald crown.
Second Dress: The same without sword or armour.
Edgar.—Short full parti-coloured shirt, buskins, belt and
sword, small moustache and long hair, confined by a fillet. Second
Dress: A dark mantle. Third Dress: Suit of fleshings, shirt
and wrapper of blankets, tied with cord, hair dishevelled, beard
and moustaches grown, a straw coronet, cow's horn, old wallet of
dark leather, and staff. Fourth Dress: Gray shirt, leather leggings,
pointed felt hat, and mantle. Fifth Dress: Coat of mail of steel
plates sewed on leather, gauntlets of same, and conical steel
helmet with nasal guard.
Kent.—Parti-coloured shirt, with full sleeves, mantle of green
stuff fastened at throat, buskins; gold circlet for the head. Second
Dress: Leather shirt, dark cloth neck covering with hood; fleshings,
sandals. Third: Shirt of mail and helmet.
Edmund.—Dark blue merino shirt, with full sleeves, fleshings
and buskins, waist belt and sword. Second Dress: Parti-coloured
shirt, gold circlet for the head. Third Dress: Coat of mail of
brass plates, and conical brass helmet.
Curan and Nobles.—Shirts of various colours, &c.
Oswald.—Light blue shirt, sandals, conical cap, waist belt, side
pouch of leather, sword, long light hair, and beard.
-- 4 --
Physician.—Long dark gown, with hood, and wide sleeves.
Herald.—White shirt, with wide sleeves, white fillet for the
hair, and white wand.
Fool.—A shirt (rather long) with close sleeves of red and yellow
stuff, half the front and back of each colour, a cap of the same,
with large red comb made like the comb of a cock, fleshings, and
leather leggings fastened with red and yellow gaiters.
Officers.—Some with helmets and half mail, swords, spears,
and shields.
Captain.—Tanned leather helmet and cuirass, with iron bosses.
Soldiers.—Conical caps of leather, some with leather shirts,
some with iron plates over the shoulders and across the breasts,
long hair and hanging moustaches, spears and shields, slings, bows
and arrows.
Cordelia.—White merino double dress, gold fillet, and hair
flowing down the back. Second Dress: Crimson mantle fastened
at throat with jewel, small coronet crown. Third: Plain white
dress, white face, and livid mark round the throat.
Regan. Scarlet tunic over white skirt and sleeves, gold coronet,
hair hanging down the back.
Goneril.—Purple tunic over yellow skirt and sleeves, gold
coronet, and long hair worn flowing behind, large dark veil may
be worn after her second scene.
The dresses specified will perhaps be found the most desirable
that can readily be adopted; it is impossible to present the
characters in the aspect they would have assumed at the time
“King Leir” is supposed to have reigned, (800 years before
Christ) therefore, a compromise between reality and necessity is
unavoidable.
The German coloured Costumes for King Lear (which may be
had of the publisher) will be useful and suggestive.—Frank
Howard's Spirits of Shakespeare's Plays is also excellent for the
appointments and grouping.
T. H. L.
Glossary
Glossary
OF WORDS, EITHER OBSOLETE, VARYING FROM THEIR COMMON ACCEPTATION, OR REQUIRING EXPLANATION.
“Bedlam beggars.”—“Before the civil warres I remember Tom a
Bedlams went about begging. They had been such as had
been in Bedlam and come to some degree of soberness.”—
Aubrey's MSS. “He swears he hath been in Bedlam, and
will talk frantickly of purpose, you see pinnes stuck in sundry
places of his naked flesh, especially in his armes, which paine
he gladly puts himselfe to, only to make you believe he is out
-- 5 --
of his wits. He calls himselfe by the name of poore Tom,
and, coming near anybody, cries out Poore Tom is a-cold.”—
Dekker's Bellman of London, 1640.
“Bewray his practise.”—That is, reveal and undo his contrivances.“Blank of thine eye.”—The blank is the mark at which aim is taken.“Bless thy five wits.”—
“Forsoth, syr, herynge, seynge, and smellynge,
The remenaunte tastynge, and felynge,
These ben the v wittes bodely.”— The Worlde and the Childe.“Cadent.”—Falling.“Camelot.”—In Somersetshire, near Camelot, are large moors where
great quantities of geese are bred.“Century.”—Company of a hundred.“Coxcomb.”—A fool's cap, with the crest shaped like a cock's comb.“Cruel garters.”—A quibble on crewell, that is, worsted.“Exhibition.”—Show only.“Flaws.”—Anciently signified fragments as well as mere cracks.“Fleshment.”—A soldier is said to flesh his maiden sword when he
first uses it in combat.“Frontlet.”—A covering for the brow—a sort of demi-veil.“Gasted.”—Frightened.“Hysterica passio.”—An illness; also called the “mother,” which
in Shakespeare's time was not thought peculiar to women.“Interess'd.”—United, coalesced (a Gallicism).“Knives under his pillow,” &c.—This, with the names of the
spirits, is taken from Harsnet's Declaration of Popish Impostures,
1603.“Lend less than thou owest.”—To owe is to possess.“Lipsbury pinfold.”—A saying of the time—pinfold is a pound for
strayed animals.“Meiny.”—Retinue, from the French, meinie.“My poor fool is hang'd.”—Fool was a term of endearment in the
poet's time as well as the name of a jester—in this instance
Lear most probably alludes to his daughter's death.“Nether-stocks.”—The old word for stockings.“Pawn.”—Common soldier at chess.“Pillicock sat on Pillicock Hill.”—
See Gammer Gurton's Garland.
“Pillycock, Pillycock sat on a hill,
If he's not gone, he sits there still.”“Poise.”—Weight or balance.“Rats and mice and such small deer.”—From the old metrical
romance of Sir Bevis.
“Rattes and myce and such smal dere
Was his meate that seven yeare.”“Remotion.”—Retirement.“Renege.”—To equivocate.“Sea Monster.”—The Hippopotamus; the hieroglyphical symbol of
impiety and ingratitude.“Setta.”—Cease, be quiet.“Slaves your ordinance.”—To make it subservient, instead of
obeying it.
-- 6 --
“Sound trumpet.”—“The appellant and his procurator first come to
the gate. The constable and marshall demand by voice of
herald, what he is and why he comes so arrayed.”—Seldon's Duello.“Subscribed his power.”—Given up.“Tender hefted.”—More delicate in make, and in use.“Three suited”—“One trunk-inheriting”—“worsted stocking knave”—“barber-monger”—“neat slave.”—Epithets of reproach and
contempt current in the days of Shakespeare; their peculiar
application cannot be determined with precision now.—
See the Variorum Shakespeare, 1793, vol. 14.“To the warm sun.”—
“In your running from him to me, ye runne
Out of God's blessing into the warme sun.”— Heywood's Dialogues.“Treachers.”—Traitors.“Upon the gad.”—With thoughtless speed; like the gadfly, which
lights at carpice, and departs quickly.“Validity.”—Value.
