WHAT Is poortom?
"Tom O' Bedlam" was used in Early Modern Britain and later to describe beggars and vagrants who had or feigned mental illness. They claimed, or were assumed, to have been former inmates at the Bethlehem Royal Hospital (Bedlam). It was commonly thought that inmates were released with authority to make their way by begging. It was adopted as a technique of begging, or a character poortom.
In King Lear, the character Edgar is forced underground and becomes poortom in order to escape from his evil brother Edmund’s plan. In his disguise Edgar is able to observe the other characters for who they truly are; his disguise actually frees him to discover the truth. Just as Edgar emerges at the end of the play to save the day.
poortom productions inspires and reinvigorates audiences with productions of clarity, force and beauty.
poortom
