The play is set from the late 1660's to 1670's. The period that started at this time in English history was called the Restoration. After the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the mid 17th Century, England, Scotland and Ireland had been united to become three nations under a single government, the monarch Charles I. Yet, this wasn't without problems, since it created friction within the three nations, resulting in series of conflicts between 1639 and 1651. In 1649 Charles I was executed by the English parliament because of high treason after a 7 year civil war. This was an end to the monarchy, and after the excecution of Charles I, England was under different form s of republican government to try and please all of the three nations as one country. Yet, as the year 1660 changed, and the government was still on unstable grounds, it was decided to be best to restore the monarchy under Charless II. So, simply put, the Restoration was the period in time, when the monarchy in England returned after decade of various forms of republican government.
Actresses in Restoration Theatre
Before the time of Restoration, around 1640's, Puritans closed all the theatres, distroyed playhouses and actors from all over were harassed. This continued for eighteen years, until the restoration and the return of Charles II from France back to England to take his place on the trhone. Upon the return of the court, Charles II brought many customs and fashions which he had learned in France, especially in theatre. He provided some of the remaining playwrites playhouses where performances would be soon enough be put on. With this, women also were now allowed to be on stage as actresses, like in France since 1620's. Before Restoration time, it was strictly forbidden for women to act, and only men were allowed to be on stage, female parts being played by young boys. Still, even if women were now allowed to act, they weren't the same as male actors. Women were entertainment for the men, meaning that they often had to reveal their naked bodies as amusement, working more like modern strippers do than actresses. Women were “sexual props on stage”, and often even the older scripts were changed to bring more females into them. Even the purest of female characters were often sexualized, further objectifying women and their bodies.
Nell Gwyn
Eleanor 'Nell' Gwyn was spent most of her childhood in quite unfortunate situation. She was born in February of 1650. Some sources say that she was born in London, but others that I research from said that her mother moved Nell and her sister Rose there, after their father's death. In London Mrs. Gwyn became to be known as Madam Gwyn, as she eventually opened her own bawdy house, after falling back on prostitution, because of the obvious lack of theatre work. She employed her daughters as well, serving drinks and working as street vendor's. This is where Nell learned to project and use her voice. Later on Nell became an orange girl at the Drury Lane Theatre, trough her older sister, which is where she attracted the attention of the theatre's leading actor Charles Hart. Nell became his mistress soon enough, which helped her to get her big break on the stage as a comic actress at the King's Theatre Company. She was only fifteen when she started acting. As an actress she became quite known for her comedic, witty characters like Florimel in Dryden's Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen. Her success was mostly to thank for John Dryden, who wrote characters especially for her. Still, it wasn't until Nell started as a mistress to King Charles II, that she really became known to the public. It was her wit, good temper and her beauty that made her popular with the King, as well as the public. In 1669 Nell's left the theatre for a while, since she fell pregnant to the King, giving birth to an son. Even though Nell Gwyn never acquired a title, unlike King's other long-term mistresses, she did manage to get one for her son, Earl of Burford. Nell did return to the stage in late 1670 to perform Dryden's The conquest of Granada, but this is said to might have been her last play. Around this time Nell also had her second son, who died during studying in Paris at an early age. Nell stayed faithful to the King, even after he passed away in 1685. Because of the King's wish, all Nell's debts were payed off and she received a pension of 1500 pounds a year. She didn't live herself much longer, just two years after the King's death, Nell Gwyn died from apoplexy, probably from getting syphilis from the King.
Restoration Acting
Since re-opening the theatre's was a celebration of the end of Puritans, plays started to become more about amusement and enjoyment, bringing on more comedic plays. The acting was almost an opposite to acting today; nowadays actors try to convey the emotions of their characters in the most realistic way possible, but in restoration acting this would have been considered bad acting. During the restoration era, acting consisted of over the top gestures that each had a certain emotions attached to them. The most famous actors were always attached to a certain archetype e.g. a fool, a heroic or evil character, that they played in every play they were in, and the plays were written for them to portray this character they did the best. Charles II also encouraged to make the plays very sexually explicit, making women even more important to be allowed on stage, since they were the ones to bare their breasts and excite the male audience.
Sources
| http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/ngwynne.html |
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