The Portland daily press., 1879-03-24
Shakespeare's Color Names

1 fear it would be somewhat rash to convict
Shakespeare of color blindness, or ever vague.
ness on the evidence of the Nurse in Romeo
and Juliet-a lady who is the Mrs. Malsprop
of the play, and whose extraordinary faculty
for the confusion of terms may perhaps have
contributed somewhat to the 'merriness" with
which she c1edited her husband. 1t Is possible
that the Nurse meant to convey the idea Of
hazel eye, VIII ich would not be far removed in
color from that of an eagle, but also often has a
slight tendency to greenish hue. The Nurse,
not being particular aa to the precision of her
descriptions in general efers to it as green. II
is likely, besides, that Shakespeare deliber-
ly intended the incongruity Just as in the Mid
summer Nights Dream, be makes the bump
kin who acts Thisbe in that piece of "very
tragical mirth", Pyramus and Thisbe lament
"Those lily brows,
This cherry nose,
Those yeiow cowslip cheeks
His eyes were green as leeks.''
This passage, indeed, shows that Shakespea care
knew perfectly well the chromatic meaning of
green. A very cursory glance through
"Shakespeare" will show innumerable lines
where colors are referred TO in their true and
exact sense. Here are few passages select
ed ith special reference to the colors green
and blue: Prospero's description Of the witch
Sycora1:
"This blue-eyed hag."-Tempest L., SC. ..
(The ideal Scandinavian witch.)
With blue of heavens own tint"
-Cymbeline ii. SC. 2
"Whose ranks of blue veins."-Lucrece.
"Those bue-vened violets. ~ Tenus and Adonis
"Whose fires thou fnd'st unraked and heartbs un-
There pinch the maids as blue as bilberry."
Merry Wives of Windsor, q. SC. s.
In emerald tufts flowers blue and white,
Like sapphire, pearl and rich embroidery"
Ibid, use. 5.
Here there is no confusion. The com paf-
sons are exact and beautiful. Again we have:
"When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds ap-
pear.-Midsummer Nights Dream, i. SC.
The season indicated shows there was no
confusion between green aud brown. We
must not forget the well-known song:-
"When daisies pied and violets blue,
And lady.smOcks all silver white,
And cuckoo buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight
-Loce's labor Lost, .. SC. 2.
And 10 conclude our comparisons of green
and blue
will sob Teus of her weeds
To strew thy green with flowers; the yeows, blues,
The purple vieets and marjgolds,
Shall as chaplet hang upon Thy grave"
PerfcIes, ~, SC. 1.
Returning to the color of eyes, sbskespea.e
not only knew blue eye, but could diEorml-
nate and appreciate the beauty of a gray eye
a shade which often does duty for blue. The
lovely rivals. Julia and SylUia are so endowed
"Her ewes are gray as gass-and so are NINE"
Ttco Gentlemen of Verona IN, SC. 4.
"S Thisbe, gray eye or So"
Romeo and Juliet, H. SC. 4.
l think the above quotations afford good
proof Of the poets correctness OF coloriDg with
regard to green and blue. 1t is true that he oc-
casionally uses small degree of license with
purple aud and blCe, in the case of violets but
clearly not from unconsciousness of the differ
euce. l cannot remember any instance where
he confuses reen with blue except purposely
and humorously. In ths use of other colory
Shakespeare is IL most instance am scquaints,
with equally true to nature. To give examples
would occupy too much space; but If there are
exceptions l have no doubt your correspondent
now that the matter is broached'-will be able
to furnish them Nature