Elizabethan Clothes and Costumes - 703 Words

The people who lived during the Elizabethan Era were not allowed to wear whatever they like or desired. Their Fashion choices had to be followed by a strict law! The English people chose to establish social classes by the colors they wore and this had an affect on costumes used in theatre. Queen Elizabeth I followed the sumptuary laws, which was only certain classes were consent to wear specific fabric and colors. Therefore in plays the actors could only wear certain colors for their costumes that displayed what role and class their character was in. The clothes worn during this era was a result of Queen Elizabeth’s sumptuary laws, which had an affect on costumes used in plays, and each color a person wore had a significant meaning.†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Everyone who lived during the Elizabethan Era knew these laws and failure to follow them resulted in fines, lose of property, title, and life† (Elizabethan Costume). Since in English society clothing was a huge factor it ended up affecting costumes that were used in theatre. Next, actors had to abide by the sumptuary laws even while performing on stage. Therefore the second a performer walked onto the stage the audience could tell their role in the play just by looking at the color of the costume. â€Å"The Material and Fabric also had a similar effect,† the audience could tell what class the character was in by the quality of their costume and also it gave important information on that individual’s role (Elizabethan Actors). â€Å"Queen Elizabeth I had to give actors special licenses† to wear upper class clothes to fit their character or position (Globe Theatre Costume). When nobility or upper class people would come to see a play they would say it was like a double fashion show. The fabric and color of a person’s garments represented different pieces of information about them and since clothing was part of society and law everyone knew what the color or material meant. Lastly, each color, during this era, had a meaning and also represented which class a person was in. â€Å"Elizabethan clothing, material, and fabrics used in Elizabethan Era was extremely important† because clothes represented more than just how you looked it demonstrated yourShow MoreRelatedRenaissance Fashion Essay827 Words   |  4 Pagesrecognized for their clothing. Clothes determined someone’s status and reflected people’s social standing (Alchin, â€Å"Upper Class†). The upper class was known for their fabulous clothes, while the lower class was known for their simple homemade clothes. Since clothes were very important to the people of the Renaissance it became a status symbol during the Middle Ages (Camargo). Since clothes became a status symbol, the upper and lower classes were not allowed to wear the same clothes or clothing made of theRead MoreEssay Film Adaptation of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet896 Words   |  4 Pageslove story into a contemporary modern world so audiences today can access and understand the universal themes of the play in a familiar environment. One way Baz Luhrmann modernises the original text by Shakespeare is by replacing Elizabethan swords with the modern day guns. At the gas station scene, Capulet men say: draw if you be men. Lord Capulet states: Hand me my long sword and Benvolio shouts: put down your swords for you know not what you do. 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