Bards, Jesters and Gypsies
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Bards, Jesters and Gypsies
Falstaff had ribald fun poked at him, and Claudius was "the bloat king"--are you star-cross'd if you wear a Shakespeare plus size Renaissance costume?
While the Bard had plenty to say on sin, murder, gluttony, love, corruption and hypocrisy, he probably wouldn't spare a drop of ink if you dressed in a doublet, grabbed a Yorick skull and procured yourself a mustache/Shakespeare wig set.
If you're not comfortable being the Bard, get thee to a prop store and buy a fake viola or horn. Dress as a tavern man turned bard. You can be a Gypsy bard in a Renaissance gypsy plus size halloween costume. Or you can be a jester, like Feste in TWELFTH NIGHT, which coincidentally features the large Sir Toby Belch as well as his skinny friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek. "Ague" was a disease, so Renaissance people actually thought you could be too thin!
A Shakespeare plus size costume doesn't have to be expensive. As Polonius says in HAMLET, "Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy," which means no matter what your size, get thee a bargain in Renaissance plus size costumes.
As for the Bard, he would be flattered by your imitation. Just be sure to brush up on his plays.
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| Mary White |
