What does partisans mean in shakespeare?

Partisans is a word that Shakespeare used to refer to individuals who supported a particular cause or faction. They were typically aligned with the nobility or gentry of medieval and early modern Europe. In Shakespeare's plays, partisans are often seen as loyal followers of a leader or ruler and are portrayed as either heroes or villains depending on the context. Some notable examples of partisans in Shakespeare's plays include the characters of Edmund, Kent, and Gloucester in "King Lear" and Casca and Decius Brutus in "Julius Caesar".