# An Undress Uniform explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

The chapter critiques the idea that clothing defines a person, using Polonius's lie and the hypothetical example of Salomon to argue that true character is revealed in extremis, not by appearance.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

Polonius's claim that 'apparel doth proclaim the man' is dismissed as a lie, suggesting that outward appearances are deceptive.

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The crowd's hypocritical admiration for Salomon's imagined bravery contrasts with the grim reality of the hangman's trap.

## Character check-ins

### Salomon

Used as an example of a hero whose true nature would be recognized even in a shroud on the gallows.

## Key lines

> The apparel does not proclaim the man⁠— Polonius lied like a partisan

Clothing does not reveal a person's true character; Shakespeare's Polonius was wrong, and his statement was biased.

_Directly challenges a famous line from Hamlet, asserting that external appearance is misleading._

> And Salomon still would a hero seem if (Heaven dispel the impossible dream!) He stood in a shroud on the hangman’s trap, His eye burning holes in the black, black cap.

Even if Salomon were standing on the gallows in a burial shroud, his defiant gaze would make him appear heroic to the onlookers.

_Imagines a scenario where true heroism transcends the most degrading circumstances._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/an-undress-uniform
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters