Forwhatistheusetothestageofthatarchaeologywhichhasso
strangelyterrifiedthecritics，butthatit，anditalone，can
giveusthearchitectureandapparelsuitabletothetimeinwhich
theactionoftheplaypasses？ItenablesustoseeaGreek
dressedlikeaGreek，andanItalianlikeanItalian；toenjoythe
arcadesofVeniceandthebalconiesofVerona；and，iftheplay
dealswithanyofthegreaterasinourcountry’shistory，to
contemplatetheageinitsproperattire，andthekinginhishabit
ashelived。AndIwonder，bytheway，whatLordLyttonwouldhave
saidsometimeago，atthePrincess’sTheatre，hadthecurtain
risenonhisfather’sBrutusreclininginaQueenAnnechair，
attiredinaflowingwigandaflowereddressing-gown，acostume
whichinthelastcenturywasconsideredpeculiarlyappropriateto
anantiqueRoman！Forinthosehalcyondaysofthedramano
archaeologytroubledthestage，ordistressedthecritics，andour
inartisticgrandfatherssatpeaceablyinastiflingatmosphereof
anachronisms，andbeheldwiththecalmcomplacencyoftheageof
proseanIachimoinpowderandpatches，aLearinlaceruffles，and
aLadyMacbethinalargecrinoline。Icanunderstandarchaeology
beingattackedonthegroundofitsexcessiverealism，butto
attackitaspedanticseemstobeverymuchbesidethemark。
However，toattackitforanyreasonisfoolish；onemightjustas
wellspeakdisrespectfullyoftheequator。Forarchaeology，being
ascience，isneithergoodnorbad，butafactsimply。Itsvalue
dependsentirelyonhowitisused，andonlyanartistcanuseit。
Welooktothearchaeologistforthematerials，totheartistfor
themethod。
IndesigningthesceneryandcostumesforanyofShakespeare’s
plays，thefirstthingtheartisthastosettleisthebestdate
forthedrama。Thisshouldbedeterminedbythegeneralspiritof
theplay，morethanbyanyactualhistoricalreferenceswhichmay
occurinit。MostHAMLETSIhaveseenwereplacedfartooearly。
HAMLETisessentiallyascholaroftheRevivalofLearning；andif
theallusiontotherecentinvasionofEnglandbytheDanesputsit
backtotheninthcentury，theuseoffoilsbringsitdownmuch
later。Once，however，thatthedatehasbeenfixed，thenthe
archaeologististosupplyuswiththefactswhichtheartististo
convertintoeffects。
Ithasbeensaidthattheanachronismsintheplaysthemselvesshow
usthatShakespearewasindifferenttohistoricalaccuracy，anda
greatdealofcapitalhasbeenmadeoutofHector’sindiscreet
quotationfromAristotle。Upontheotherhand，theanachronisms
arereallyfewinnumber，andnotveryimportant，and，had
Shakespeare’sattentionbeendrawntothembyabrotherartist，he
wouldprobablyhavecorrectedthem。For，thoughtheycanhardlybe
calledblemishes，theyarecertainlynotthegreatbeautiesofhis
work；or，atleast，iftheyare，theiranachronisticcharmcannot
beemphasisedunlesstheplayisaccuratelymountedaccordingto
itsproperdate。InlookingatShakespeare’splaysasawhole，
however，whatisreallyremarkableistheirextraordinaryfidelity
asregardshispersonagesandhisplots。ManyofhisDRAMATIS
PERSONAEarepeoplewhohadactuallyexisted，andsomeofthem
mighthavebeenseeninreallifebyaportionofhisaudience。
IndeedthemostviolentattackthatwasmadeonShakespeareinhis
timewasforhissupposedcaricatureofLordCobham。Asforhis
plots，Shakespeareconstantlydrawsthemeitherfromauthentic
history，orfromtheoldballadsandtraditionswhichservedas
historytotheElizabethanpublic，andwhichevennownoscientific
historianwoulddismissasabsolutelyuntrue。Andnotmerelydid
heselectfactinsteadoffancyasthebasisofmuchofhis
imaginativework，buthealwaysgivestoeachplaythegeneral
character，thesocialatmosphereinaword，oftheageinquestion。
Stupidityherecognisesasbeingoneofthepermanent
characteristicsofallEuropeancivilisations；soheseesno
differencebetweenaLondonmobofhisowndayandaRomanmobof
pagandays，betweenasillywatchmaninMessinaandasillyJustice
ofthePeaceinWindsor。Butwhenhedealswithhighercharacters，
withthoseexceptionsofeachagewhicharesofinethatthey
becomeitstypes，hegivesthemabsolutelythestampandsealof
theirtime。VirgiliaisoneofthoseRomanwivesonwhosetombwas
written’Domimansit，lanamfecit，’assurelyasJulietisthe
romanticgirloftheRenaissance。Heiseventruetothe
characteristicsofrace。Hamlethasalltheimaginationand
irresolutionoftheNorthernnations，andthePrincessKatharineis
asentirelyFrenchastheheroineofDIVORCONS。HarrytheFifthis
apureEnglishman，andOthelloatrueMoor。
AgainwhenShakespearetreatsofthehistoryofEnglandfromthe
fourteenthtothesixteenthcenturies，itiswonderfulhowcareful
heistohavehisfactsperfectlyright-indeedhefollows
Holinshedwithcuriousfidelity。TheincessantwarsbetweenFrance
andEnglandaredescribedwithextraordinaryaccuracydowntothe
namesofthebesiegedtowns，theportsoflandingandembarkation，
thesitesanddatesofthebattles，thetitlesofthecommanderson
eachside，andthelistsofthekilledandwounded。Andasregards
theCivilWarsoftheRoseswehavemanyelaborategenealogiesof
thesevensonsofEdwardtheThird；theclaimsoftherivalHouses
ofYorkandLancastertothethronearediscussedatlength；andif
theEnglisharistocracywillnotreadShakespeareasapoet，they
shouldcertainlyreadhimasasortofearlyPeerage。Thereis
hardlyasingletitleintheUpperHouse，withtheexceptionof
courseoftheuninterestingtitlesassumedbythelawlords，which
doesnotappearinShakespearealongwithmanydetailsoffamily
history，creditableanddiscreditable。Indeedifitbereally
necessarythattheSchoolBoardchildrenshouldknowallaboutthe
WarsoftheRoses，theycouldlearntheirlessonsjustaswellout
ofShakespeareasoutofshillingprimers，andlearnthem，Ineed
notsay，farmorepleasurably。EveninShakespeare’sowndaythis
useofhisplayswasrecognised。’Thehistoricalplaysteach
historytothosewhocannotreaditinthechronicles，’says
Heywoodinatractaboutthestage，andyetIamsurethat
sixteenth-centurychroniclesweremuchmoredelightfulreadingthan
nineteenth-centuryprimersare。
OfcoursetheaestheticvalueofShakespeare’splaysdoesnot，in
theslightestdegree，dependontheirfacts，butontheirTruth，
andTruthisindependentoffactsalways，inventingorselecting
thematpleasure。ButstillShakespeare’suseoffactsisamost
interestingpartofhismethodofwork，andshowsushisattitude
towardsthestage，andhisrelationstothegreatartofillusion。
Indeedhewouldhavebeenverymuchsurprisedatanyoneclassing
hisplayswith’fairytales，’asLordLyttondoes；foroneofhis
aimswastocreateforEnglandanationalhistoricaldrama，which
shoulddealwithincidentswithwhichthepublicwaswell
acquainted，andwithheroesthatlivedinthememoryofapeople。
Patriotism，Ineedhardlysay，isnotanecessaryqualityofart；
butitmeans，fortheartist，thesubstitutionofauniversalfor
anindividualfeeling，andforthepublicthepresentationofa
workofartinamostattractiveandpopularform。Itisworth
noticingthatShakespeare’sfirstandlastsuccesseswereboth
historicalplays。
Itmaybeasked，whathasthistodowithShakespeare’sattitude
towardscostume？Ianswerthatadramatistwholaidsuchstresson
historicalaccuracyoffactwouldhavewelcomedhistoricalaccuracy
ofcostumeasamostimportantadjuncttohisillusionistmethod。
AndIhavenohesitationinsayingthathedidso。Thereference
tohelmetsoftheperiodintheprologuetoHENRYTHEFIFTHmaybe
consideredfanciful，thoughShakespearemusthaveoftenseen
Theverycasque
ThatdidaffrighttheairatAgincourt，
whereitstillhangsintheduskygloomofWestminsterAbbey，along
withthesaddleofthat’impoffame，’andthedintedshieldwith
itstornbluevelvetlininganditstarnishedliliesofgold；but
theuseofmilitarytabardsinHENRYTHESIXTHisabitofpure
archaeology，astheywerenotworninthesixteenthcentury；and
theKing’sowntabard，Imaymention，wasstillsuspendedoverhis
tombinSt。George’sChapel，Windsor，inShakespeare’sday。For，
uptothetimeoftheunfortunatetriumphofthePhilistinesin
1645，thechapelsandcathedralsofEnglandwerethegreatnational
museumsofarchaeology，andinthemwerekeptthearmourandattire
oftheheroesofEnglishhistory。Agooddealwasofcourse
preservedintheTower，andeveninElizabeth’sdaytouristswere
broughttheretoseesuchcuriousrelicsofthepastasCharles
Brandon’shugelance，whichisstill，Ibelieve，theadmirationof
ourcountryvisitors；butthecathedralsandchurcheswere，asa
rule，selectedasthemostsuitableshrinesforthereceptionof
thehistoricantiquities。Canterburycanstillshowusthehelmof
theBlackPrince，Westminstertherobesofourkings，andinold
St。Paul’stheverybannerthathadwavedonBosworthfieldwas
hungupbyRichmondhimself。
Infact，everywherethatShakespeareturnedinLondon，hesawthe
apparelandappurtenancesofpastages，anditisimpossibleto
doubtthathemadeuseofhisopportunities。Theemploymentof
lanceandshield，forinstance，inactualwarfare，whichisso
frequentinhisplays，isdrawnfromarchaeology，andnotfromthe
militaryaccoutrementsofhisday；andhisgeneraluseofarmourin
battlewasnotacharacteristicofhisage，atimewhenitwas
rapidlydisappearingbeforefirearms。Again，thecreston
Warwick’shelmet，ofwhichsuchapointismadeinHENRYTHESIXTH，
isabsolutelycorrectinafifteenth-centuryplaywhencrestswere
generallyworn，butwouldnothavebeensoinaplayof
Shakespeare’sowntime，whenfeathersandplumeshadtakentheir
place-afashionwhich，ashetellsusinHENRYTHEEIGHTH，was
borrowedfromFrance。Forthehistoricalplays，then，wemaybe
surethatarchaeologywasemployed，andasfortheothersIfeel
certainthatitwasthecasealso。TheappearanceofJupiteron
hiseagle，thunderboltinhand，ofJunowithherpeacocks，andof
Iriswithhermany-colouredbow；theAmazonmasqueandthemasque
oftheFiveWorthies，mayallberegardedasarchaeological；and
thevisionwhichPosthumusseesinprisonofSiciliusLeonatus-
’anoldman，attiredlikeawarrior，leadinganancientmatron’-
isclearlyso。Ofthe’Atheniandress’bywhichLysanderis
distinguishedfromOberonIhavealreadyspoken；butoneofthe
mostmarkedinstancesisinthecaseofthedressofCoriolanus，
forwhichShakespearegoesdirectlytoPlutarch。Thathistorian，
inhisLifeofthegreatRoman，tellsusoftheoak-wreathwith
whichCaiusMarciuswascrowned，andofthecuriouskindofdress
inwhich，accordingtoancientfashion，hehadtocanvasshis
electors；andonbothofthesepointsheentersintolong
disquisitions，investigatingtheoriginandmeaningoftheold
customs。Shakespeare，inthespiritofthetrueartist，accepts
thefactsoftheantiquarianandconvertsthemintodramaticand
picturesqueeffects：indeedthegownofhumility，the’woolvish
gown，’asShakespearecallsit，isthecentralnoteoftheplay。
ThereareothercasesImightquote，butthisoneisquite
sufficientformypurpose；anditisevidentfromitatanyrate
that，inmountingaplayintheaccuratecostumeofthetime，
accordingtothebestauthorities，wearecarryingout
Shakespeare’sownwishesandmethod。
Evenifitwerenotso，thereisnomorereasonthatweshould
continueanyimperfectionswhichmaybesupposedtohave
characterisedShakespeare’sstagemountingthanthatweshouldhave
Julietplayedbyayoungman，orgiveuptheadvantageof
changeablescenery。Agreatworkofdramaticartshouldnotmerely
bemadeexpressiveofmodernpassionbymeansoftheactor，but
shouldbepresentedtousintheformmostsuitabletothemodern
spirit。RacineproducedhisRomanplaysinLouisQuatorzedresson
astagecrowdedwithspectators；butwerequiredifferent
conditionsfortheenjoymentofhisart。Perfectaccuracyof
detail，forthesakeofperfectillusion，isnecessaryforus。
Whatwehavetoseeisthatthedetailsarenotallowedtousurp
theprincipalplace。Theymustbesubordinatealwaystothe
generalmotiveoftheplay。Butsubordinationinartdoesnotmean
disregardoftruth；itmeansconversionoffactintoeffect，and
assigningtoeachdetailitsproperrelativevalue
’Lespetitsdetailsd’histoireetdeviedomestique（saysHugo）
doiventetrescrupuleusementetudiesetreproduitsparlepoete，
maisuniquementcommedesmoyensd’accroitrelarealitede
l’ensemble，etdefairepenetrerjusquedanslescoinslesplus
obscursdel’oeuvrecetteviegeneraleetpuissanteaumilieude
laquellelespersonnagessontplusvrais，etlescatastrophes，par
consequeut，pluspoignantes。Toutdoitetresubordonneecebut。
L’Hommesurlepremierplan，leresteaufond。’
ThispassageisinterestingascomingfromthefirstgreatFrench
dramatistwhoemployedarchaeologyonthestage，andwhoseplays，
thoughabsolutelycorrectindetail，areknowntoallfortheir
passion，notfortheirpedantry-fortheirlife，notfortheir
learning。Itistruethathehasmadecertainconcessionsinthe
caseoftheemploymentofcuriousorstrangeexpressions。RuyBlas
talksofM，dePriegoas’sujetduroi’insteadof’nobleduroi，’
andAngeloMalipierispeaksof’lacroixrouge’insteadof’la
croixdegueules。’Buttheyareconcessionsmadetothepublic，or
rathertoasectionofit。’J’enoffreicitoutemesexcusesaux
spectateursintelligents，’hesaysinanotetooneoftheplays；
’esperonsqu’unjourunseigneurvenitienpourradiretout
bonnementsansperilsonblasonsurletheatre。C’estunprogres
quiviendra。’And，thoughthedescriptionofthecrestisnot
couchedinaccuratelanguage，stillthecrestitselfwasaccurately
right。Itmay，ofcourse，besaidthatthepublicdonotnotice
thesethings；upontheotherhand，itshouldberememberedthatArt
hasnootheraimbutherownperfection，andproceedssimplybyher
ownlaws，andthattheplaywhichHamletdescribesasbeingcaviare
tothegeneralisaplayhehighlypraises。Besides，inEngland，
atanyrate，thepublichaveundergoneatransformation；thereis
farmoreappreciationofbeautynowthantherewasafewyearsago；
andthoughtheymaynotbefamiliarwiththeauthoritiesand
archaeologicaldataforwhatisshowntothem，stilltheyenjoy
whateverlovelinesstheylookat。Andthisistheimportantthing。
Bettertotakepleasureinarosethantoputitsrootundera
microscope。Archaeologicalaccuracyismerelyaconditionof
illusioniststageeffect；itisnotitsquality。AndLordLytton’s
proposalthatthedressesshouldmerelybebeautifulwithoutbeing
accurateisfoundedonamisapprehensionofthenatureofcostume，
andofitsvalueonthestage。Thisvalueistwofold，picturesque
anddramatic；theformerdependsonthecolourofthedress，the
latteronitsdesignandcharacter。Butsointerwovenarethetwo
that，wheneverinourowndayhistoricalaccuracyhasbeen
disregarded，andthevariousdressesinaplaytakenfromdifferent
ages，theresulthasbeenthatthestagehasbeenturnedintothat
chaosofcostume，thatcaricatureofthecenturies，theFancyDress
Ball，totheentireruinofalldramaticandpicturesqueeffect。
Forthedressesofoneagedonotartisticallyharmonisewiththe
dressesofanother：and，asfarasdramaticvaluegoes，toconfuse
thecostumesistoconfusetheplay。Costumeisagrowth，an
evolution，andamostimportant，perhapsthemostimportant，sign
ofthemanners，customsandmodeoflifeofeachcentury。The
Puritandislikeofcolour，adornmentandgraceinapparelwaspart
ofthegreatrevoltofthemiddleclassesagainstBeautyinthe
seventeenthcentury。Ahistorianwhodisregardeditwouldgiveus
amostinaccuratepictureofthetime，andadramatistwhodidnot
availhimselfofitwouldmissamostvitalelementinproducingan
illusionisteffect。Theeffeminacyofdressthatcharacterisedthe
reignofRichardtheSecondwasaconstantthemeofcontemporary
authors。Shakespeare，writingtwohundredyearsafter，makesthe
king’sfondnessforgayapparelandforeignfashionsapointinthe
play，fromJohnofGaunt’sreproachesdowntoRichard’sownspeech
inthethirdactonhisdepositionfromthethrone。Andthat
ShakespeareexaminedRichard’stombinWestminsterAbbeyseemsto
mecertainfromYork’sspeech：-
See，see，KingRicharddothhimselfappear
Asdoththeblushingdiscontentedsun
Fromoutthefieryportaloftheeast，
Whenheperceivestheenviouscloudsarebent
Todimhisglory。
ForwecanstilldiscernontheKing’srobehisfavouritebadge-
thesunissuingfromacloud。Infact，ineveryagethesocial
conditionsaresoexemplifiedincostume，thattoproducea
sixteenth-centuryplayinfourteenth-centuryattire，orVICEVERSA，
wouldmaketheperformanceseemunrealbecauseuntrue。And，
valuableasbeautyofeffectonthestageis，thehighestbeautyis
notmerelycomparablewithabsoluteaccuracyofdetail，butreally
dependentonit。Toinvent，anentirelynewcostumeisalmost
impossibleexceptinburlesqueorextravaganza，andasfor
combiningthedressofdifferentcenturiesintoone，theexperiment
wouldbedangerous，andShakespeare’sopinionoftheartisticvalue
ofsuchamedleymaybegatheredfromhisincessantsatireofthe
Elizabethandandiesforimaginingthattheywerewelldressed
becausetheygottheirdoubletsinItaly，theirhatsinGermany，
andtheirhoseinFrance。Anditshouldbenotedthatthemost
lovelyscenesthathavebeenproducedonourstagehavebeenthose
thathavebeencharacterisedbyperfectaccuracy，suchasMr。and
Mrs。Bancroft’seighteenth-centuryrevivalsattheHaymarket，Mr。
Irying’ssuperbproductionofMUCHADOABOUTNOTHING，andMr，
Barrett’sCLAUDIAN。Besides，andthisisperhapsthemostcomplete
answertoLordLytton’stheory，itmustberememberedthatneither
incostumenorindialogueisbeautythedramatist’sprimaryaimat
all。Thetruedramatistaimsfirstatwhatischaracteristic，and
nomoredesiresthatallhispersonagesshouldbebeautifully
attiredthanhedesiresthattheyshouldallhavebeautifulnatures
orspeakbeautifulEnglish。Thetruedramatist，infact，showsus
lifeundertheconditionsofart，notartintheformoflife。The
Greekdresswastheloveliestdresstheworldhaseverseen，and
theEnglishdressofthelastcenturyoneofthemostmonstrous；
yetwecannotcostumeaplaybySheridanaswewouldcostumeaplay
bySophokles。For，asPoloniussaysinhisexcellentlecture，a
lecturetowhichIamgladtohavetheopportunityofexpressingmy
obligations，oneofthefirstqualitiesofapparelisits
expressiveness。Andtheaffectedstyleofdressinthelast
centurywasthenaturalcharacteristicofasocietyofaffected
mannersandaffectedconversation-acharacteristicwhichthe
realisticdramatistwillhighlyvaluedowntothesmallestdetail
ofaccuracy，andthematerialsforwhichhecangetonlyfrom
archaeology。
Butitisnotenoughthatadressshouldbeaccurate；itmustbe
alsoappropriatetothestatureandappearanceoftheactor，andto
hissupposedcondition，aswellastohisnecessaryactioninthe
play。InMr。Hare’sproductionOFASYOULIKEITattheSt。
James’sTheatre，forinstance，thewholepointofOrlando’s
complaintthatheisbroughtuplikeapeasant，andnotlikea
gentleman，wasspoiledbythegorgeousnessofhisdress，andthe
splendidapparelwornbythebanishedDukeandhisfriendswas
quiteoutofplace。Mr。LewisWingfield’sexplanationthatthe
sumptuarylawsoftheperiodnecessitatedtheirdoingso，is，Iam
afraid，hardlysufficient。Outlaws，lurkinginaforestandliving
bythechase，arenotverylikelytocaremuchaboutordinancesof
dress。TheywereprobablyattiredlikeRobinHood’smen，towhom，
indeed，theyarecomparedinthecourseoftheplay。Andthat
theirdresswasnotthatofwealthynoblemenmaybeseenby
Orlando’swordswhenhebreaksinuponthem。Hemistakesthemfor
robbers，andisamazedtofindthattheyanswerhimincourteous
andgentleterms。LadyArchibaldCampbell’sproduction，underMr。
E。W。Godwin’sdirection，ofthesameplayinCoombeWoodwas，as
regardsmounting，farmoreartistic。Atleastitseemedsotome。
TheDukeandhiscompanionsweredressedinsergetunics，leathern
jerkins，highbootsandgauntlets，andworebycockethatsand
hoods。Andastheywereplayinginarealforest，theyfound，Iam
sure，theirdressesextremelyconvenient。Toeverycharacterin
theplaywasgivenaperfectlyappropriateattire，andthebrown
andgreenoftheircostumesharmonisedexquisitelywiththeferns
throughwhichtheywandered，thetreesbeneathwhichtheylay，and
thelovelyEnglishlandscapethatsurroundedthePastoralPlayers。
Theperfectnaturalnessofthescenewasduetotheabsolute
accuracyandappropriatenessofeverythingthatwasworn。Nor
couldarchaeologyhavebeenputtoaseverertest，orcomeoutof
itmoretriumphantly。Thewholeproductionshowedonceforall
that，unlessadressisarchaeologicallycorrect，andartistically
appropriate，italwayslooksunreal，unnatural，andtheatricalin
thesenseofartificial。
Nor，again，isitenoughthatthereshouldbeaccurateand
appropriatecostumesofbeautifulcolours；theremustbealso
beautyofcolouronthestageasawhole，andaslongasthe
backgroundispaintedbyoneartist，andtheforegroundfigures
independentlydesignedbyanother，thereisthedangerofawantof
harmonyinthesceneasapicture。Foreachscenethecolour-
schemeshouldbesettledasabsolutelyasforthedecorationofa
room，andthetextureswhichitisproposedtouseshouldbemixed
andre-mixedineverypossiblecombination，andwhatisdiscordant
removed。Then，asregardstheparticularkindsofcolours，the
stageisoftentooglaring，partlythroughtheexcessiveuseof
hot，violentreds，andpartlythroughthecostumeslookingtoonew。
Shabbiness，whichinmodernlifeismerelythetendencyofthe
lowerorderstowardstone，isnotwithoutitsartisticvalue，and
moderncoloursareoftenmuchimprovedbybeingalittlefaded。
Bluealsoistoofrequentlyused：itisnotmerelyadangerous
colourtowearbygaslight，butitisreallydifficultinEngland
togetathoroughlygoodblue。ThefineChineseblue，whichweall
somuchadmire，takestwoyearstodye，andtheEnglishpublicwill
notwaitsolongforacolour。Peacockblue，ofcourse，hasbeen
employedonthestage，notablyattheLyceum，withgreatadvantage；
butallattemptsatagoodlightblue，orgooddarkblue，whichI
haveseenhavebeenfailures。Thevalueofblackishardly
appreciated；itwasusedeffectivelybyMr。IrvinginHAMLETasthe
centralnoteofacomposition，butasatone-givingneutralits
importanceisnotrecognised。Andthisiscurious，consideringthe
generalcolourofthedressofacenturyinwhich，asBaudelaire
says，’Nouscelebronstousquelqueenterrement。’Thearchaeologist
ofthefuturewillprobablypointtothisageasthetimewhenthe
beautyofblackwasunderstood；butIhardlythinkthat，asregards
stage-mountingorhousedecoration，itreallyis。Itsdecorative
valueis，ofcourse，thesameasthatofwhiteorgold；itcan
separateandharmonisecolours。Inmodernplaystheblackfrock-
coatoftheherobecomesimportantinitself，andshouldbegivena
suitablebackground。Butitrarelyis。Indeedtheonlygood
backgroundforaplayinmoderndresswhichIhaveeverseenwas
thedarkgreyandcream-whitesceneofthefirstactofthe
PRINCESSEGEORGESinMrs。Langtry’sproduction。Asarule，the
heroissmotheredinBRIC-E-BRACandpalm-trees，lostinthegilded
abyssofLouisQuatorzefurniture，orreducedtoameremidgein
themidstofmarqueterie；whereasthebackgroundshouldalwaysbe
keptasabackground，andcoloursubordinatedtoeffect。This，of
course，canonlybedonewhenthereisonesingleminddirecting
thewholeproduction。Thefactsofartarediverse，butthe
essenceofartisticeffectisunity。Monarchy，Anarchy，and
Republicanismmaycontendforthegovernmentofnations；buta
theatreshouldbeinthepowerofacultureddespot。Theremaybe
divisionoflabour，buttheremustbenodivisionofmind。Whoever
understandsthecostumeofanageunderstandsofnecessityits
architectureanditssurroundingsalso，anditiseasytoseefrom
thechairsofacenturywhetheritwasacenturyofcrinolinesor
not。Infact，inartthereisnospecialism，andareallyartistic
productionshouldbeartheimpressofonemaster，andonemaster
only，whonotmerelyshoulddesignandarrangeeverything，but
shouldhavecompletecontroloverthewayinwhicheachdressisto
beworn。
MademoiselleMars，inthefirstproductionofHERNANI，absolutely
refusedtocallherlover’MONLION！’unlessshewasallowedto
wearalittlefashionableTOQUEthenmuchinvogueonthe
Boulevards；andmanyyoungladiesonourownstageinsisttothe
presentdayonwearingstiffstarchedpetticoatsunderGreek
dresses，totheentireruinofalldelicacyoflineandfold；but
thesewickedthingsshouldnotbeallowed。Andthereshouldbefar
moredressrehearsalsthantherearenow。ActorssuchasMr。
Forbes-Robertson，Mr。Conway，Mr。GeorgeAlexander，andothers，not
tomentionolderartists，canmovewitheaseandeleganceinthe
attireofanycentury；buttherearenotafewwhoseemdreadfully
embarrassedabouttheirhandsiftheyhavenosidepockets，andwho
alwaysweartheirdressesasiftheywerecostumes。Costumes，of
course，theyaretothedesigner；butdressestheyshouldbeto
thosethatwearthem。Anditistimethatastopshouldbeputto
theidea，veryprevalentonthestage，thattheGreeksandRomans
alwayswentaboutbareheadedintheopenair-amistakethe
Elizabethanmanagersdidnotfallinto，fortheygavehoodsaswell
asgownstotheirRomansenators。
Moredressrehearsalswouldalsobeofvalueinexplainingtothe
actorsthatthereisaformofgestureandmovementthatisnot
merelyappropriatetoeachstyleofdress，butreallyconditioned
byit。Theextravagantuseofthearmsintheeighteenthcentury，
forinstance，wasthenecessaryresultofthelargehoop，andthe
solemndignityofBurleighowedasmuchtohisruffastohis
reason。Besidesuntilanactorisathomeinhisdress，heisnot
athomeinhispart。
Ofthevalueofbeautifulcostumeincreatinganartistic
temperamentintheaudience，andproducingthatjoyinbeautyfor
beauty’ssakewithoutwhichthegreatmasterpiecesofartcannever
beunderstood，Iwillnotherespeak；thoughitisworthwhileto
noticehowShakespeareappreciatedthatsideofthequestioninthe
productionofhistragedies，actingthemalwaysbyartificial
light，andinatheatrehungwithblack；butwhatIhavetriedto
pointoutisthatarchaeologyisnotapedanticmethod，buta
methodofartisticillusion，andthatcostumeisameansof
displayingcharacterwithoutdescription，andofproducingdramatic
situationsanddramaticeffects。AndIthinkitisapitythatso
manycriticsshouldhavesetthemselvestoattackoneofthemost
importantmovementsonthemodernstagebeforethatmovementhasat
allreacheditsproperperfection。Thatitwilldoso，however，I
feelascertainasthatweshallrequirefromourdramaticcritics
inthefuturehigherqualificationthanthattheycanremember
MacreadyorhaveseenBenjaminWebster；weshallrequireofthem，
indeed，thattheycultivateasenseofbeauty。POURETREPLUS
DIFFICILE，LATACHEN’ENESTQUEPLUSGLORIEUSE。Andiftheywill
notencourage，atleasttheymustnotoppose，amovementofwhich
Shakespeareofalldramatistswouldhavemostapproved，forithas
theillusionoftruthforitsmethod，andtheillusionofbeauty
foritsresult。NotthatIagreewitheverythingthatIhavesaid
inthisessay。ThereismuchwithwhichIentirelydisagree。The
essaysimplyrepresentsanartisticstandpoint，andinaesthetic
criticismattitudeiseverything。Forinartthereisnosuch
thingasauniversaltruth。ATruthinartisthatwhose
contradictoryisalsotrue。Andjustasitisonlyinart-
criticism，andthroughit，thatwecanapprehendthePlatonic
theoryofideas，soitisonlyinart-criticism，andthroughit，
thatwecanrealiseHegel’ssystemofcontraries。Thetruthsof
metaphysicsarethetruthsofmasks。