Question

A play retells a historic story in five acts. In the original production, male actors played every role, including the women's roles. The stage directions contain minimal setting description. In which literary era was this play most likely written?

A. Interregnum
B. Modern
C. Elizabethan
D. Postmodern

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

C. Elizabethan

When actors portray a character of the opposite gender is called " Cross gender acting". This gender was most common during the Elizabethan Era. The Elizabethan era was the time in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. Wlliam Shakespeare was at his peak, as any introduction to Shakespeare’s stage will note, all of the female roles were originally played by young boys because women did not appear on stage in Elizabethan England.