So when the bard was writing all of these references to “gauntlet” and especially that one from Henry IV part 2 which pretty clearly indicates a glove, what was he talking about? He was talking about a piece of armor. Etymological records indicate the phrase itself did not come to England until the 17th century, which means while people may have lined up to pummel others as punishment in England during Shakespeare’s lifetime, this usage of the word “gauntlet” to describe that practice probably post-dated Shakespeare, which means it isn’t what he’s talking about when he uses the term in his plays. The goal being to get to the end.Įven though I was able to find what appears to be a woodcut image from 1525 that demonstrates a gauntlet, the engraving comes from a Swiss-German artist, and the practice (or at least the phrase describing the practice) seems to have originated in Sweden, not England. To run the gauntlet is to take part in a form of punishment in which the party judged guilty is forced to run between two rows of people who strike him with various objects as he runs. Just to set the record straight “run the gauntlet” did exist in the 16th century. Alas, there may be less French to this term than I had hoped, but let’s explore. Their needles to lances, and their gentle heartsĪll of these sound completely different from the “run the gauntlet” expression I was expecting to find. Their thimbles into armed gauntlets change, The stage directions for Henry VI Part III say “Throws down his gauntlet” Obviously, they aren’t carrying a military punishment method, so it has to be something else.Ī scaly gauntlet now with joints of steel / Must glove this hand

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet the stage directions in Act V Scene II say

Shakespearean call to arms