V, 1, 40.
INTERLUDE.
Here is the scroll of every man’s name which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude.
I, 2, 5.
APPAREL.
Get your apparel together, good strings to your beards, new ribbons to your pumps. In any case, let Thisby have clean linen.
IV, 2, 36.
Although scenic effects did not play a great part in Elizabethan performances, the actors spared no pains in appearing before the audience in most elaborate costumes. The court masques were most gorgeously costumed, and the expenses totalled thousands of pounds. It is on record that noblemen lent their rich doublets and hose to actors on special occasions, all characters, whether ancient or modern, appearing in the costume of the day. Henslowe’s Diary affords many glimpses of the dresses supplied to the actors. In fact, the rich apparel of the actors is one of the noteworthy features of an Elizabethan play, and can be attested by many contemporary witnesses. We see here the rude mechanicals aping their betters, and Bottom’s request that the performers shall appear in their best and do everything in their power to make a goodly show before the Duke.
PLAY.