What is drama, after all, but life with the dull bits cut out.
The ode lives upon the ideal, the epic upon the grandiose, the drama upon the real.[L’ode vit de l’idéal, l’épopée du grandiose, le drame du réel.]
In designing the scenery and costumes for any of Shakespeare’s plays, the first thing the artist has to settle is the best date for the drama. This should be determined by the general spirit of the play, more than by any actual historical references which may occur in it.