| |
| | Elizabethan Period |
 | | The accession of her sister as Mary I in 1553 increased the insecurity of Elizabeth's position for, although herself an opponent of religious extremism, she was seen as the natural focus for the Protestant faction. |
 | | However, Elizabethan noblemen wore their hats indoors, so when Hamlet tells Osric, the foppish courtier, to put his bonnet back on, he is showing that Osric is being ridiculously respectful in keeping his hat off in front of Hamlet. |
 | | In the Elizabethan theatre, this distinction did not exist, and for two reasons: first, performances took place in the open air and in daylight which illuminated everyone equally; secondly, the spectators were all around the stage (and wealthier spectators actually on it), and were dressed no differently to the actors, who wore contemporary dress. |
| members.fortunecity.es /fabianvillegas/drama/elizabethan.htm (10145 words) |
|