Women could not perform on stage, not because they were second class citizens, but because it was considered indecent for women to appear in public and show themselves off. Women who did so were considered to be probably of loose morals and such a show would be the equivalent of a sex show.
Most of the roles of younger women in plays, such as Juliet, were performed by "beardless boys," who hadn't reached puberty and still had smooth skin and high pitched voices. Older female roles, such as Juliet's nurse etc, were portrayed by adult male actors.
The roles of young women were played by "beardless boys" in their teens whose voices had not broken. The roles of older women were played by adult men.
There were plenty of women in those days, and no doubt many of them would have made great actresses, but public opinion at that time viewed any woman displaying herself on stage as "lewd". Actually, had women been allowed on stage, some theatre owners would probably have insisted that the entertainments be pornographic, so it was safer just to ban actresses altogether.
Up until 1660, female roles in Shakespeare's and anyone else's plays in England were played by boys and men. Please note: in England only. In France, they had actresses. Please note: up until 1660 only. A mere 45 years after Shakespeare's death, women were allowed on stage. Please note: Shakespeare was one of a very large number of playwrights writing at the time, and this applied to all plays whatsoever. As a publicity stunt, the female transvestite Mary Frith got up on the stage of the Fortune theatre and sang a song during a performance of Dekker and Middleton's play The Roaring Girl (which was about her in the first place) in 1611, and everyone got into serious trouble over it.
boys
although there are stories of real girl sneaking into the industry.
Men, typically younger men, played the parts of women in the time of Shakespeare.
The women parts were played by boys. Women and girls were not allowed on the public stage in those days.
The roles of young women were played by young men whose voices had not yet deepened. Older women could be played by older men. Women did not act in Shakespearean plays until the 1660s.
Inexperienced or young male actors.
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Women were not allowed to act. Young men played the parts of women.
The roles of the women would be played by men, typically young boys who had not yet gone through puberty, because it would be easier to pass them off as women. Women were generally not allowed to participate in theater.
In Shakespeare's own era, it was deemed highly improper for women to act in plays, so the parts were played by men, in particular slim, young boys whose voices hadn't yet changed.By the Restoration of the Monarchy (1660), the tradition was dropped, and actresses appeared on the English stage, although some parts, such as the nurse in Romeo and Juliet and the witches in Macbeth were still played by men for comic effect.
No, they were played by all men. This tradition of men playing every role in a play was also seen in Elizabethan England - all the parts in Shakespeare's plays were played by men.
Actors were all men. It was illegal for a woman to act. Young boys played the parts of women.
Shakespeare's heroines were played by boys up to 1660 or so and by young women since.
Women were not allowed to act. Young men played the parts of women.
In Shakespeare's time women's parts were played by boys, and there might be 2 or 3 boys in a company, therefore there are few women's parts in any one play.
In Shakespeare's day, all the female parts were played by boys.
Young boys played female parts. It was against the law for women to act.
The roles of the women would be played by men, typically young boys who had not yet gone through puberty, because it would be easier to pass them off as women. Women were generally not allowed to participate in theater.
In Shakespeare's own era, it was deemed highly improper for women to act in plays, so the parts were played by men, in particular slim, young boys whose voices hadn't yet changed.By the Restoration of the Monarchy (1660), the tradition was dropped, and actresses appeared on the English stage, although some parts, such as the nurse in Romeo and Juliet and the witches in Macbeth were still played by men for comic effect.
No, they were played by all men. This tradition of men playing every role in a play was also seen in Elizabethan England - all the parts in Shakespeare's plays were played by men.
In Elizabethan culture it was socially unacceptable for women to be actors in the theatre. So as a consequence female parts were played by males. It is thought that Shakespeare was in love with the young man that originally played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. And wrote many of his female parts for that man.
Actors were all men. It was illegal for a woman to act. Young boys played the parts of women.
In Elizabethan theatre, the parts of women were played by boys whose voices had not changed. Some of them must have been exceptionally gifted actors.
There was a time when women were not allowed to perform. It was not considered appropriate and was actually illegal. During Shakespeare's time, all the female parts were played by young men. Women did not appear on the stage until 1660.