“The roles they played were small, and they were far from being polished performers, but they were women and their physical allure was undeniable” (Wilson 3).

Over time, theatre evolved to incorporate larger and more meaningful roles for women, all of which revolved around their gender and sexuality. For example, prologues and epilogues were designed for women to recite flirtatiously to the audience, such as the epilogue cited on the home page (Settle). This kind of behaviour can be seen in the video located on the Breeches Roles page.

1660- Heroic Tragedies

Men and women were officially permitted to perform on the public stage again in 1660, but men still ruled for another 10 years; heroic tragedies starring men remained popular during that time. However, by the 1670s, larger parts for women were introduced (Howe 108). When it became clear that women were attracting audiences, larger roles and “more scenes of love and pathos” were written for women (108). These roles portrayed women as either romantic partners or pitiful creatures. The pathetic female role, normally representing chaste women, grew to be so popular that the she-tragedy was introduced — tragedies with helpless frail women as heroines.

She Tragedy – The Introduction of Heroines (1680s)

Women were so popular on stage that it gave birth to the “she-tragedy,” a Restoration story in which virtue in women was characterized as “frailty, passivity, and helplessness” (Howe 176). These plays exploited women’s suffering and presented it in a seductive alluring way (176). This is just another example of how these plotlines were based around a male fantasy. Villainesses, on the other hand, were assertive, showing a dislike for powerful assertive women (176).  Encouraging a helpless weak portrayal of women confirmed man’s place in the social hierarchy and therefore, posed “no threat to a male-dominated society” (176).

Dramatic Prostitute Roles (1680s)

Actress Elizabeth Barry, known for incorporating sexual qualities into all of her characters, brought on a new genre for women to star in– the dramatic prostitute. Barry was able to complicate the female “whore character” in comedy, bringing new passion, sympathy, and doomed suffering to the role (Howe 129). Audiences quickly became more interested in the sufferings and issues of the whore, than the chaste virgin heroine. This allowed for the whore character to take a more predominant and developed role in the comedy. Controversy surrounded this style of dramatic writing, so limitations like disallowing the prostitute to marry the hero were implemented to meet social expectations (130).