need help i'm stuck on homework
:,-(
2007-02-01 05:08:11 · 11 answers · asked by karlcowell 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
In those days, even men were not allowed to perform plays on the stage, let alone women. Theatre companies had to find themselves a patron, preferably of loyalty; a lord, an earl etc. Otherwise, they could have been imprisoned. That is why Shakespeare's company was under the patronage of the Earl of Southhampton. It was completely unacceptable for women to take part in plays, legally and socially. Therefore, young men (boys) had to play the parts of women.
2007-02-01 05:25:25 · answer #1 · answered by anlarm 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sexism? Women not educated as well as men and thus could not read? Women who could have acted were of upper classes and thus not allowed to act for social reasons? The troupes travelled a lot and thus women who traveled with men were considered as whores? Maybe women were considered as garbage and thus were discriminated against. They considered women as good for only one thing?
In all the rest of Europe at that time and even much later, woman weren't allowed to be opera singers, church singers, etc.
Look up "Elizabethan Sexuality", "Women in Elizabethan England", "Elizabethan Stage", etc. I go nowhere without my Wikipedia.com, .org, or whatever its name is.
2007-02-01 05:18:23 · answer #2 · answered by Shivakumar 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was literally illegal for women to perform on stage. It would have been considered something akin to pornography, and innapropriate for women to be in the theatre all day with men rehearsing. They thought it would lead to prostitution.
Actors at the time were regarded as scum, along with dock workers, whores, and beggars. So a woman actor would have been inconceivable.
2007-02-01 07:05:20 · answer #3 · answered by Year of the Monkey 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because back then, acting was not considered a suitable thing for a woman to do. The Greeks also used men to play female parts, and the Japanese did it too in their Kabuki theatre.
2007-02-01 05:16:56 · answer #4 · answered by dkiller88 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because back then it wasn't right or sociably acceptable for a woman to work. Therefore, the men had to play the womens roles also.
2007-02-01 05:11:43 · answer #5 · answered by love2shop 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As far as i know it was because around that time period it was when the men did all the work and women had to be house wives, because men were said to be more better an at everything in those days.
2007-02-01 05:24:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because women were not allowed to work and no one would go see a show with actual women in it.
2007-02-01 05:15:40 · answer #7 · answered by lilstephybelle 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Acting was considered a sleazy and low class business and women weren't permitted to be on stage. It was thought to be obscene to permit woment to perform in public
2007-02-01 05:56:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sexism and plus women who performed on stages and other places in front of public were considered very immoral
2007-02-01 08:08:52 · answer #9 · answered by cookiecracker 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it was a very sexist time period and women didn't work, most likely.
2007-02-01 05:19:38 · answer #10 · answered by Geekier Than Thou 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋