'Macbeth' at Covent Garden

Macbeth and Banquo both wear 18th-century dress. Audiences expected to see their Shakespearean heroes in contemporary clothing and frock coats, breeches and tricorne hats were the fashion of the day. Although a form of Highland dress was worn in plays set in Scotland, it was not until 1773 that Macbeth appeared in plaid. Here the only indications of nationality are the round Scottish shields (targes) carried by both men, a reference which would be spotted by audiences that had not forgotten the Battle of Culloden of 1746.

The two uniformed men on either side of stage are grenadier guardsmen. Eighteenth-century theatre audiences could be rowdy and sometimes violent and the soldiers acted as a deterrent to riot. Their presence was accepted by the spectators and was rarely commented upon or depicted.