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.
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📝 Exam Connection: Change & Continuity
Culture is useful evidence for "How far did England change?" questions:
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Quiz · Question 1 of 10
Why were theatres closed during the Interregnum (1642-1660)?
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