In
Shakespeare's time, England's
Puritans preached against people going to the theatre. They thought that it was
sacrilegious for men to dress up in clothes belonging to the other sex (women
were not allowed to appear on the stage so women's parts were taken by boys).
In some of his plays Shakespeare makes fun of these Puritans, like in Twelfth
Night with the character of Malvolio.
Fortunately,
the stage had a powerful friend in Queen Elizabeth ,
she protected the companies of actors. The Elizabethan Era is considered to be a golden age
in English history. It was the height of the English Renaissance, and saw the flowering of English literature, poetry
and theatre.
( A Short History of
the Drama by Martha Fletcher Bellinger, http://www.theatredatabase.com/16th_century/condemnation_of_elizabethan_theater_001.html)
Academic year 2006/2007
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Latorre Arnedo, Isabel
usuario@alumni.uv.es
Universitat de Valčncia Press