Literary notes about doff (AI summary)
The term "doff" has long served as a literary device to signal the act of shedding or discarding, whether literal garments or metaphorical identities. In earlier literary works, it is used quite literally—as in Robin Hood's instruction to change attire ([1]) or the squire's command to remove clothes in Fielding's account ([2]). At the same time, authors imbue the term with richer symbolism; Milton connects the act of doffing with relinquishing bonds to gain favor and freedom ([3]), while Shakespeare uses it as a plea for forsaking one’s inherited identity for a transformative union ([4]). Beyond the removal of attire, "doff" also marks the shedding of burdens or old ways, as seen in Stevenson's portrayal of a character abandoning an undesired self ([5]) and Carlyle's metaphorical call for England to discard its outdated symbols ([6]). In each instance, "doff" elegantly bridges the physical act of undressing with deeper themes of change, renewal, and liberation.
- Doff these clothes and put on such as my retainers wear.
— from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle - “I wull have satisfaction o' thee,” answered the squire; “so doff thy clothes.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding - Off: I praise thy resolution, doff these links: 1410 By this compliance thou wilt win the Lords To favour, and perhaps to set thee free.
— from The Poetical Works of John Milton by John Milton - Romeo, doff thy name, And for thy name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself.
— from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare - I had but to drink the cup, to doff at once the body 90) of the noted professor, and to assume, like a thick cloak, that of Edward Hyde.
— from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - Forty: doff your greasy wool Bonnets, which shall become Caps of Liberty.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle
