What did color mean during Shakespeare´s times?

The meaning of colors worn during the Shakespeare´s times provided instant information about the person wearing them! A man or women who were purple clothes would be immediately recognized as a member of royalty. Gold, silver, crimson or scarlet, deep indigo blue, violet colors and even deep black and pure white colors were only worn by the highest nobility in the land. The colors of Shakespeare clothes provided information about the status of the man or woman wearing them. This was not just dictated by the wealth of the person, it also reflected their social standing.

The ranges of colors used for producing expensive clothes were produced by complicated dyeing processes. Expensive fabrics were imported from abroad. The dyes used for coloring these clothes were expensive. The brightest or darkest colors were more expensive to produce and therefore limited to higher status clothing. The color and its brightness helped determine the dye’s value and the price of the garment. The lower classes wore colors of yellow, russet (a reddish brown color), orange, green, pale blue and pink. The meaning of colors and what they represented during the Elizabethan era covered a variety of elements and issues:

◾The meaning of colors related to status, position and rank.

◾The meaning of colors related to class - upper classes and lower classes.

◾The meaning of colors were so important that the violation of the Sumptuary Laws could lead to death!

◾The Christian and Biblical references gave a symbolic meaning of colors.