In the age of fast fashion, stage costumes are relatively easy to procure. What is and isn’t acceptable costuming for a modern Shakespeare production is extremely flexible, with each production trying to find a unique new setting or angle for plays that are hundreds of years old. When my Shakespeare company (the Youth Shakespeare Society of Pittsburgh!) produced a Midsummer Night’s Dream last summer, costumes cost us next to nothing. People brought what they had and built from inexpensive basics. There was no accurate period clothing.

In the time when Shakespeare originally staged his play, however, there was an obvious dress code for actors (and non-actors) in a society that signaled class by clothing. Genuine, convincing clothing to represent each class was expected- none of that “modern interpretation” stuff that puts people in any old thing as long as the families are color-coordinated. Clothing back then was made by hand of quality materials, so even the clothes of the lower classes (wool, linen, and sheepskin) weren’t cheap to acquire. The clothing of nobility added an additional layer of cost, with its elaborate design, expensive materials, and precise tailoring. Besides, where were non-nobles supposed to buy such garments? It’s possible that one surprising supplier of noble costumes may have been servants. Nobles often left faithful servants some piece of expensive clothing (or perhaps an accessory or a wig) in their wills, but the servants were unable to wear these out in public due to the strict dress code stratifying the social classes. (Elizabeth I even banned anyone except the royal family from wearing purple!) With no other use for these garments, it’s possible that servants sold them off to theater companies.

What about makeup? The ingredients were ghastly, but makeup was essential, especially with an all-male cast playing women as well as men. Beauty standards of the day indicated unnaturally-white skin, bright red lips, and light hair as the ideal. Recipes for pale face powder range from harmlessly gross to downright deadly, with one citing hogs’ bones and poppy oil, and a far more popular mixture, known as ceruse, utilizing white lead and vinegar. Using lead for both white and red makeup proved far more common than using benign natural ingredients. Indeed, lead and mercury were the primary ingredients in most white and red makeup products for centuries to come. These ingredient eventually caused hair loss, skin discoloration, tooth decay, and death- the very thing the nobles were trying to avoid!

In any case, makeup and costumes were essential to presenting an acceptable, proper play in Shakespeare’s day, and they weren’t always safe or easy to find. Plays with fantasy or historical settings presented an additional challenge. My question is: would you rather use bones and oil or white lead to achieve that desirable has-never-seen-the-sun look?