Introduction

This introduction discusses the relationship between colour and the emotional register in Shakespeare’s plays. Positioning colour as an emotion vector helps to develop a richer understanding of emotional transactions within the plays. Using a history of emotions approach predicated on the work of William Reddy, Monique Scheer, and Barbara Rosenwein, the introduction outlines the methodological framework which supports the exploration of colour terms and their influence on emotional exchanges. These significations are noted to be mutable and are located in the cultural context of the early modern period. Colour associations are posited as stimuli which can be manipulated to share, enhance, or disrupt ways of feeling. Within this introduction, the emotionally complex meanings attached to colour terms in both the genre of art and the world of emblems are examined. Looking at colour and the emotional resonances that colour terms can augment proves key to uncovering previously obscured emotional registers.