THE WOMAN IN SHAKESPEARE THEATRE

Close your eyes girl, imagine you are an 18 years-old woman, if you are a man, imagine it too; a whole life to spend in a theatre because that is what you want, you love acting. Listening to Shakespeare’s representations has made you have an open mind, you now are able to imagine what theatre represents, what is to feel a play like if that person were you, but then you open your eyes and you see that is impossible. That would have been your situation if you had been born in any time before XVI century; no woman was permitted to act. Why? Would be your next question, but well first wait, “Would you imagine a woman acting? Women are not capacited to do that, a woman's role is focused on maternity, housework and those things, and anyway church will not admitted, are we listening what are we saying?, for god sake!” and that is what anyone would tell you because there is no reason but sexism. In their place men did this job, they tried to select a young man (so he was not really grown up and had not a deep voice) and they dressed him up like a girl. Fortunately, this changed later and was Venetia who made the first step. Later this new situation spread all over other country like England and Spain. In Spain this changed concretely in 1587 November. Little by little women started to appear more in theatre but this does not mean they had no restrictions: first of all they just could act if they were married and accompanied by their husbands And secondly, they just could act doing a women roll, nothing strange.

                                                                                             Sandra Cobos Luna, 1º Bto. A