Setting the Scene
📖 Setting the Scene
For 18 years, the theatres had been closed. Puritans banned plays as immoral, frivolous distractions from godly living. But in 1660, Charles II — who loved the theatre — issued patents (royal licences giving exclusive rights to perform) allowing two companies to perform. Within weeks, the stages were back. But this wasn't Shakespeare's theatre. Restoration drama was different: witty, sophisticated, often scandalous. And for the first time in English history, women could act on stage. The most famous, Nell Gwyn, went from orange-seller to actress to royal mistress. Culture, like everything else, was transformed by the Restoration.
Earn the mark scheme marks
📝 Exam Connection: Change & Continuity
Culture is useful evidence for "How far did England change?" questions:
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 10
Why were theatres closed during the Interregnum (1642-1660)?
Tap an answer to check it