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Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 4.2.97: Top | Help
In England social prohibitions against women speaking in public were the main reason that women were not on the stage. If a woman subjected herself to the public gaze, then she must be a "public woman" (i.e. a prostitute), a concept which persisted well into the 19th century when actresses were considered little better than whores. A part of a woman's modesty included her keeping herself private, which means keeping to her house as much as possible and not inviting men to look at her. Another factor is that women did not have access to public school educations like men did, an education which routinely included public speaking. Remember an actor has to speak loudly and clearly enough to reach 2 or 3 thousand people in an open-air theater.Posted by maryh on April 24, 1997 at 09:05:19
In Reply to "I AM SEAKING HELP: WHY WERE WOMEN BANNED FROM THE STAGE IN SHAKE'S TIME?" posted by LJ on April 22, 1997 at 22:29:03
Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 4.2.97: Top | Help