Re: The Demonization of Shakespeare

Sam Plusnet wrote:

On 15/07/2025 19:26, Paul S Person wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jul 2025 01:07:01 +0100, JNugent <JNugent73@mail.com>
wrote:
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On 09/07/2025 10:14 PM, William Hyde wrote:

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<snippo>
>

In Aubrey's "Brief Lives" he mentions one daring theatre manager who
allowed women to play on stage circa 1660.

>
That - the Restoration - was when actresses were first tolerated. It was
16662 when Charles II Charles II issued royal patents to theatre
companies, formally permitting women to play women’s roles.

>
In the film /Moliere/, women are shown as performers. This was in
France and Charles II was in exile in France. The possibility here is
that he allowed it because he was accustomed to it.
>

<https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/the-first-english-actresses/> >

 I know nothing about actresses in France at that time but...
A film??
Are we to take films as reliable sources of historical data?
 

I did a bit of checking and apparently actresses were allowed on the French stage at this time.  I don't know when that became allowed, or if it was ever forbidden, in fact.
Aubrey gives credit to one of his biographical subjects, not Charles, for the change.  Charles may simply have approved something which already existed.
Though I would expect Charles to be for it, and to have been for it even in his father's reign.
William Hyde