4.+The+Nature+of+Theater

**The Nature of Theater**

There were many traditions specific to sixteenth and seventeenth century theater that are necessary to remember when studying Shakespeare. **One very important detail to keep in mind is that women were not permitted to perform in the theater, so no women performed in Shakespeare's plays.** The theater was not considered credible, thus the law forbid women to work as actresses.

While the abundance of female characters throughout Shakespeare's plays makes a lack of actresses seem improbable, **the roles of female characters were played by teenage boys, aged 13 to 19**. Bundled in layers of clothing and wigs appropriate to women of the Elizabethan age, the boys were able to step into the roles of female characters.

Unfortunately, these boys faced two large problems. First, they were paid significantly less than the rest of the actors. Generally, these boys were apprentices of superior actors involved in the theater, thus these men received the three shillings a week earned by the boys playing female roles, in exchange for room and board. The second problem was the makeup required. Much of the makeup worn in the Elizabethan era contained led, thus many of these boys developed diseases or died from lead poisoning. **Shakespeare also had a time in his career that scholars now try to identify as the "tragic period" as his plays became darker. From 1601-1607, Shakespeare produced eight plays that could be considered dark.** However, it does not make much sense to assume that Shakespeare would have chosen to write plays for any specific purpose. Instead, it is necessary to remember that he was told what plays to write by individuals such as Queen Elizabeth I and King James of Scotland. Those who funded him had control over the plays he produced, not Shakespeare.