The bloody proclamation to escape
That followed me so near…taught me to shift
Into a madman’s rags, t’ assume a semblance
That very dogs disdained.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3. Edgar explains to everyone who watched his duel with Edmund how he dressed in the rags of a crazy beggar after the proclamation condemning him to death. From being a noble he transformed himself into a creature that even the dogs looked down on.