Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Black, adj. (Compar. “blacker:” As IV, 3, 35. Wint. II, 1, 8. III, 2, 173. Oth. V, 2, 131. Per. I, 1, 135. Superl. “blackest:” Lucr. 354. Gentl. III, 1, 285. Hml. IV, 5, 131. Oth. II, 3, 357). 1) of the colour of night: Lucr. 1454. Sonn. 127, 9. Gentl. III, 1, 287. Wiv. V, 5, 20. Wiv. V, 5, 20 Meas. II, 4, 79. LLL V, 2, 266. LLL V, 2, 266 Mids. II, 2, 22. III, 1, 128. III, 2, 357. V, 171. Wint. II, 1, 8. R2 IV, 95. H6C II, 1, 161. Rom. I, 1, 237 etc. etc. “The B. Prince,” All's IV, 5, 44 (a quibble). R2 II, 3, 101. H5 I, 2, 105. II, 4, 56. IV, 7, 97. H6B II, 2, 11. “b. chaos,” Ven. 1020. “b. cloud,” Tp. II, 2, 20. “b. storm,” H6B III, 1, 349. “b. vesper's pageants,” Ant. IV, 14, 8. “beaten b. and blue,” Wiv. IV, 5, 115. “pinch us b. and blue,” Err. II, 2, 194. “we will fool him b. and blue,” Tw. II, 5, 12.
2) of a dark complexion; often opposed to fair: “I have sworn thee fair and thought thee bright, who art as b. as hell,” Sonn. 147, 14. cf. 127, 1. 131, 12. Gentl. V, 2, 10. Ado III, 1, 63. LLL IV, 3, 253. LLL IV, 3, 253 Rom. I, 1, 237. Oth. I, 3, 291. II, 1, 130 etc. Proverb: “b. men are pearls in beauteous ladies' eyes,” Gentl. V, 2, 12. Synonymous to ugly: “though ne'er so b., say they have angels' faces,” Gentl. III, 1, 103. “the air hath starved the roses in her cheeks and pinched the lily-tincture of her face, that now she is become as b. as I,” IV, 4, 161. cf. Ant. I, 5, 28. “all the pictures fairest lined are but b. to Rosalind,” As III, 2, 98. LLL IV, 3, 247. H6A I, 2, 84.
3) Figuratively, == evil, wicked, horrible, dismal: “so b. a deed,” Lucr. 226. Wint. III, 2, 173. R2 IV, 131. “--est sin,” Lucr. 354. Oth. II, 3, 357. “b. lust,” Lucr. 654. “words --er in their effect than in their countenance,” As IV, 3, 35. “actions --er than the night,” Per. I, 1, 135. “thoughts b.” Hml. III, 2, 266. “b. scandal,” R3 III, 7, 231. “b. envy,” H8 II, 1, 85. “my b. and deep desires,” Mcb. I, 4, 51. “b. vengeance,” Oth. III, 3, 447. “b. Nemesis,” H6A IV, 7, 78. “the --est devil,” Hml. IV, 5, 131. Oth. V, 2, 131. “b. Macbeth,” Mcb. IV, 3, 52. “you secret, b. and midnight hags,” IV, 1, 48. “hell's b. intelligencer,” R3 IV, 4, 71. “b. magician,” I, 2, 34. “holy seems the quarrel upon your grace's part, b. and fearful on the opposer,” All's III, 1, 5. “thou'rt damned as b. --, nay, nothing is so b.,” John IV, 3, 121. “it will be a b. matter for the king that led them to it,” H5 IV, 1, 151. “he had a b. mouth that said other of him,” H8 I, 3, 58. “this b. strife,” Rom. III, 1, 183. “as b. defiance as heart can think,” Troil. IV, 1, 12. “in our b. sentence and proscription,” Caes. IV, 1, 17. “reward not hospitality with such b. payment,” Lucr. 576. “the --est news,” Gentl. III, 1, 285. “b. tidings,” R2 III, 4, 71. “that b. name, Edward black prince of Wales,” H5 II, 4, 56. “that b. word death,” Rom. III, 3, 27. “b. despair,” H6B III, 3, 23. R3 II, 2, 36. “a b. day,” R3 V, 3, 280. Rom. IV, 5, 53. “b. funeral,” IV, 5, 85. “b. stage for tragedies,” Lucr. 766. “bitter, b. and tragical,” R3 IV, 4, 7. “b. and portentous must this humour prove,” Rom. I, 1, 147. die under their (my curses') “b. weight,” John III, 1, 297.
Adverbially: “looked b. upon me,” Lr. II, 4, 162.