THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THEATRE
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Abstract
This article examines the text explores women's roles in Victorian theatre and literature, highlighting both restrictions and opportunities. It discusses how societal norms shaped their participation in the arts while noting the rise of actresses, playwrights, and feminist theatre movements. Sarah Siddons, Ellen Terry, and Elizabeth Inchbald are mentioned as key figures.
In literature, women were often portrayed through the "angel in the house" ideal, emphasizing domesticity and purity. However, authors like Charlotte Brontë challenged these norms, portraying strong female characters like Jane Eyre. The discussion links these themes to broader social changes, industrialization, and feminist movements, showing how Victorian literature and theatre both reinforced and questioned gender roles.
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References
Taylor, Jenny Bourne. In the Secret Theatre of Home: Wilkie Collins, Sensation Narrative, and Nineteenth-Century Psychology. Routledge, 1988.
Stone, Marjorie J. The Family, Sex, and Marriage in England, 1500-1800. Harper & Row, 1977.
Pykett, Lyn. The "Improper" Feminine: The Women's Sensation Novel and the New Woman Writing. Routledge, 1992.