Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
How happy some o'er othersome can be!
Through Athens, I am thought as fair as she.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so...
Audrey (As You Like It)
Well, I am not fair, and therefore I pray the gods make me honest.
Chorus (Romeo & Juliet)
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...
You
may have guessed that the word "fair" is ALL OVER THE PLACE in
Shakespeare's plays. It's a word that we, in the 21st century, primarily use to mean "just, in
accordance with the rules or standards; legitimate." And sure, it often
means that in Shakespeare's text, too, but it also has a few other definitions,
most notably "beautiful", "of a white complexion", and "clear,
unspotted, pure." Sometimes, it even means "kind", "good", or even
"honorable."
(Side note: Alexander Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary is a great resource - and here's how to use it.)
One thing
that we have to be aware of when we approach Shakespeare's plays 400+
years after they were written is the ideals of the people presenting the
plays and the intended audience. Shakespeare's audience seemed to
enjoy, appreciate, and idealize their definition of beauty. This type of
"fair" includes people of a pale complexion (particularly ladies), and
people with blonde hair.
This
is especially apparent in a play like A Midsummer Night's Dream, where
the two young ladies, Hermia and Helena, are rivals. Helena mentions in
her soliloquy at the beginning of the play that "through Athens, I am
thought as fair as she". As the play progresses, we see numerous
references to Hermia being darker in color (in hair or skin, it isn't specified): "Not Hermia, but Helena I love./ Who will not change a raven
for a dove?" is Lysander's love declaration to Helena. As the "dove" in
this metaphor, she would be more "fair" (light in color) than a "raven", and therefore
more beautiful to Elizabethans than the darker Hermia.
In
As You Like It, Audrey says that she is "not fair", which probably
means "not beautiful", but also likely means "not pale." Many characters we meet
in the Forest of Arden are shepherds and goatherds, and they would
spend a great deal of time in the sun. To many Elizabethans, being pale
was part of being ideally beautiful, so the idea of Audrey using "fair"
in the "pale/beautiful" context holds up. In the same play, Phebe is
insulted when her features are described as dark: "He said mine eyes
were black and my hair black..." The amazing thing about Shakespeare's
writing is that even though his characters' ideals of beauty may be
different from what ours currently are, he makes it abundantly clear
that this is what matters in this particular society of the play!
In these instances and many others, "fair" is a synonym for "beautiful." This can apply to objects as well as people:
Proteus (The Two Gentlemen of Verona)
But pearls are fair...
Sometimes, "fair" means "good":
Olivia (Twelfth Night)
Let thy fair wisdom, not thy passion, sway
In this uncivil and unjust extent
Against our peace.
Finally,
let's look at the opening lines from Romeo & Juliet. "Fair Verona"
could mean a great many things: a beautiful city, a just and
lawful place, a place without blemish (i.e. nothing bad happens
here), it's elegant, and even fortunate. Any and all of these choices
are accurate descriptions of the Verona we see in the text - until
things go horribly wrong!
"Fair"
is a very common word in Shakespeare's plays, and now you'll have a
jumping off point for what it means in different contexts!
Wanna step up your Shakespeare game?
Email shakespearecoach@gmail.com to schedule your first session!
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