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Colours in a Midsummer Nights Dream
Photo Credit; Wayne O Watson
As a fashion designer, when I look at media, the first the references to colour. In this piece we talk how colour has been used in productions of the play from pen to theatre.
Experiencing a midsummers night dream at this time of year is one of my favourite activities whether it be from theatre or reading passages by the beach. However as a fashion designer I find it interesting how colour influences the way a piece of media is made.
Lets go to Elizabethan England.
When Shakespare was conceptualising his play from words to a production firstly lets talk about colour would have been intepreted in Elizabethan England.
Shakespeare didn’t use colour like a fashion designer does. Take the way Shakespeare describes a black cloak from Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2 Queen Gertrude says to Hamlet
‘Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark’. Using actual colour names was not common his work.
Secondly, Elizabethan England had sumptuary laws and this would influence the way clothes were portrayed in plays. The Acts of Apparel law dictated what people could wear based on their social rank, which maintained social hierarchy and controlled spending on clothing.
Besides, Shakespearean productions in Elizabethan times were not as complex as today. Whilst Elizabthan England was the Golden age of drama, bright artificial dyes hadn’t been invented yet so there were limitations there too.
After Shakespeares death in 1616, the interpretations of his plays began to diverge from his original intentions due to changing societal norms, tastes, and theatrical practices. Besides my research indicates that few, if any, original garments from Elizabethan theatre have survived.
English Civil War and The Romantic Period
English Civil War had closed theatres and whilst there was interest after the monarchy revived shakespeare despite the restoration period in which things were heavily regulated . The Romantic period brought mass social change with ideas however in the Victorian era is when Shakespares revival really began.
Purple in a Mid Summer Nights Dream
Before, milk-white, now purple with love’s wound,
And maidens call it “love-in-idleness.”
Fetch me that flower; the herb I showed thee once.
The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid
Will make or man or woman madly dote
Upon the next live creature that it sees.
Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again
In this passage from Act 2, Scene 1 of a Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon, a royal fairy king refers to the flower as "milk-white" that turns "purple.
His authority and magical abilities are central to the plot, including his command over Puck and influence over the magical flower (love-in-idleness).
Photo credit; Wayne O Watson
Historically, the colour purple, was reserved for Royals due to the labour intensive way of harvesting the colour from snails, or being born in the purple was a term of phrase that you were born in to royalty. Even hundreds of years layer, in Elizabethan England, the colour was banned due to sumptuary laws. But the industrial revolution changed this. The discovery of quinine found by WIlliam Purkin in 1856 made the colour much more accessible.
In a sketch of a costume for ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream; produced by R. Courtneidge at the Princes Theatre, Manchester, during the Victorian era, we can see that purple is used in the sketch.
Mauve was one of the colours that defined the Victorian period due to its accessibility after thousands of years of being reserved for royals. The Victorian Era in England coupled with the industrial revolution, was a time in which the middle class thrived and significant social reforms such as improvements in working conditions and education changed the country. Theatre going was an accessible pass time compared to earlier years.
Modern day
Lets talk about the modern day. The 1960s modern production of midsummer nights dream now looks like a hazy nostalgic take and had mixed reviews. However 1960s Britain contributed a lot to culture, and the film whilst mostly forgotten is a relevant addition to Shakespeares works on film. The 1999 production showcased Gabriella Pescucci’s costume design with Michelle Pffeifers role as Titania being on many Pinterest boards for its ethereal, whimsical cinematography. What I lastly want to note is how filmmakers are turning to colour theory more than ever. Colour theory; the way a film is coloured in post production, creates emotion and changes the way we feel, and its effetive as its such a subliminal way to change a mood. With the internet, AI and so many resources on making films and content, it makes you realise how far we have come from Elizabethan outdoor productions.
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