Elizabethan Gender Roles

In today’s culture, the word ‘feminism’ is a sensitive word. Some people consider it insulting, others are honored to be called one. With the upsurge of political drama, the awareness of feminism and female roles in society has grown exponentially. In Shakespeare’s era, more commonly known as the Elizabethan era, females had no voice, their major role was taking care of their family. Women especially then, had no voice in the theater; this could fall victim to a number of causes such as religion or practicality. As time progressed so did the presence of females on England’s stage. There were many factors as to why women did not act on the Globe Theatre. Many people today are under the misconception that it was illegal for women to act; …show more content…
Physically, boys were closer in temperament and appearance to women than men; they were more slender, smaller, flat-chested, and possessed more traditionally ‘feminine’ features. Therefore, the female parts were played by pre-pubescent boys to nineteen-year-olds4. In the chance that an older man had to depict a woman, she was an older woman. Resultantly, the elder actor had to shave their beard and gargle lemon juice to produce a more feminine sounding voice3. There also exists a theory that boys portrayed women due to London’s the master-apprentice system. Since the apprentices were guided by their masters and were ‘under contract’, the apprentices had to obey what their masters requested. If an apprentice’s master also happened to be a sharer in a theatrical company or space, and that company needed some extra individuals on stage for a show, the master’s apprentices would fill in, women’s roles included10. Although obviously it would have been preferred for a female to play a female role, the use of boys and men is a strong second and only …show more content…
The presentation of the players was majorly based on that era’s fashion trends; being pale-skinned with blonde or ginger hair were the most desirable traits. Powdered hogs bones mixed with poppy oil giving the boy actors pale skin. Likewise, a combination of poisonous white lead and vinegar in a concoction called ‘ceruse’ achieved a pale foundation. Crushed pearls or silver could be added to make-up to produce a shimmering effect6. The young boys that were unfortunate enough to apply the poisonous makeup subsequently were very unhealthy, and developed facial skin diseases; notably, a high proportion actually died of lead poisoning2. To contrast, the poisonously pale face, red cheeks, and red lips were applied. Typically, the women used vermilion, mercuric sulfide, and if more contrast was desired, they applied Kohl to darken the eyelashes8. Elizabethan clothing of the upper class was sumptuous. The materials were luxurious and covered a whole variety of colors. To keep the strict social classes, the Statutes of Apparel was passed; however, Elizabethan actors were granted special permission to wear these fine clothes2. Costumes made of velvets, furs, silks, lace, cotton and taffeta were worn by the actors2, doubling the play as a fashion show. As with the men, women’s costumes reflected the social status of the character. Nearly every color of clothing conveyed its own

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