Costuming in Shakespeare's Othello: Elizabethan to Modern

Introduction

Costuming has always represented one of the most important — and expensive — features in the preparation of theatrical performances. Grimball and Wells suggest that the success of every period play and pageant depends largely on the effectiveness of the costume design. This paper provides an analysis of costuming in Shakespeare's plays in general and Othello in particular, both in Elizabethan times and throughout history, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

Costuming in the Elizabethan Era

Generally speaking, the art and designs of every period can help to illustrate characters, and the specific requirements of a particular phase of civilization can be interpreted through costumes. According to Nostbakken, in most of Shakespeare's plays, costuming was the most important component of the devices used to communicate theme and action on stage, and tended to be much more elaborate than the props or sets used for such productions — particularly as they applied to public figures such as kings or dukes. Costuming for early productions of Shakespeare's plays largely attempted to convey both the era and the social station of the characters involved (Brown, Hardison, Leiter et al.).

Unlike his other works, however, "Othello, a play with few ceremonial scenes or royal figures, does not offer the same opportunity for elaborate, showy attire as other Shakespearean plays about kings and courts, but costumes certainly would have indicated characters' class or stature" (Nostbakken 125). In these early versions of Othello, there were clear indications provided as to who was nobility, which actors represented fantastical characters, and who belonged to the lower class — such as soldiers and peasants. For example, the Duke would have likely been dressed impressively, and the difference between a military captain such as Othello and ordinary troops would have been readily apparent from their costumes. The costuming used by these designers was intended to reflect current English styles rather than historical or cultural accuracy. Nostbakken suggests that the most distinctive aspect of Othello's appearance in these productions would have been the black makeup used to distinguish him from the other characters (2000).

Costuming in the Post-Restoration Period

Compared to the sparse stage and simple props used in the early seventeenth-century public playhouses, the stage sets in post-Restoration theaters became much more elaborate, detailed, and important to theatrical performance. According to Nostbakken, these productions featured technical innovations that allowed for quick and easy changes in scenery, though these were not necessarily intended to communicate any historically or culturally significant details about the action on stage. In many instances, Othello's backdrop did not represent a specific setting, with the emphasis placed instead on aesthetic effect. During this period, the same philosophy applied to costuming: "Othello, for example, might typically appear in a British military uniform. Iago's villainy was often noted by a black wig and black eyebrows" (Nostbakken 134).

From 1700 to approximately 1900, occasional exceptions challenged this standard approach to costuming. Nostbakken reports that one eighteenth-century actor added a turban to the traditional English costume, generating more contempt than respect among audience members for his efforts. Another actor, however, was greeted with a more positive response by playing Othello in the loose-fitting garment of a Moor rather than in a British soldier's uniform. As the twentieth century approached, still another performer elected to wear Oriental robes and jewels to emphasize Othello's exotic character rather than his military position.

Conclusion

The research showed that it is important for the costume designer to have some knowledge of the general history of costume and of how clothes are inextricably associated with the progress and development of the times in which a play is set. The manner in which costuming has been applied in Othello is a prime example of how this knowledge allows costume designers to be accurate as to the period being portrayed. More importantly, perhaps, it also provides important insights into the very characteristics that have led people of different eras to clothe themselves in particular ways, and in this manner, designers are better able to express drama through their costuming approaches.

Works Cited

Brown, Langdon, Felicia Londre Hardison, and Samuel L. Leiter et al. Shakespeare around the Globe: A Guide to Notable Postwar Revivals. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986.

Grimball, Elizabeth B., and Rhea Wells. Costuming a Play: Inter-Theatre Arts Handbook. New York: The Century Co., 1952.

Hall, Joan Lord. Othello: A Guide to the Play. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.

Nostbakken, Faith. Understanding Othello: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.

Appendix A

Othello and Desdemona played by Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith at the National Theatre of Great Britain, 1964. Angus McBean Photograph. The Harvard Theatre Collection, The Houghton Library [Source: Nostbakken 2000].