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Mary Saunderson

January 06, 2023

Mary Saunderson (1637–1712), later known as Mary Saunderson Betterton after her marriage to Thomas Betterton, was an actress and singer in England during the 1660s and 1690s.[1][2] She is considered one of the first English actresses.

Drawing of the actress.

Stage career

Her most notable accomplishments are her being the first female actress to portray several of Shakespeare's woman characters on the professional stage. She was the first to portray Juliet in Romeo and Juliet,[3] Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and other female roles in The Tempest, Hamlet (as Ophelia),[4] Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, King Lear.[2] In Shakespeare's day, female roles were played by teenage boys, as women and young girls were not allowed on the stage. By the 1660s, however, the laws in England had changed, allowing females to act professionally. Mary's connections through her husband, Thomas, who was also a famous actor, allowed her to play several significant roles.[2] Saunderson had a reputation for virtue; Colley Cibber described her as leading "an unblemish'd and sober life".

One of her earliest roles was in The Siege of Rhodes, taking over the role of Ianthe in place of a Mrs. Edward Coleman, whom many agreed had done very poorly in the role. Acting under the direction of William Davenant, Mary did very well, even to the point that she was frequently called Ianthe for the rest of her life. She sang in several of Aphra Behn's operas. Perhaps her greatest and most lauded accomplishment was her performance in the role of Lady Macbeth. Actor-playwright Colley Cibber considered her "so great a Mistress of Nature" who was the only actress able to "throw out those quick and careless Strokes of Terror from the Disorder of a guilty Mind … with a Facility in her Manner that render'd them at once tremendous and delightful".[5] She played the major female roles for about 30 years, until she gradually faded out of the stage lights in the early 1690s. Her final appearance was in John Dryden's last play, Love Triumphant, where she played the leading female role.[2]

Teaching career

As acting was one of Betterton's most beloved passions, she also had the desire to put forth her talents as a way of educating and influencing the young minds around her. Mary Betterton and her husband even informally adopted actress, Anne Bracegirdle, and played a key role in training her for the very successful and popular stage career that she would have. Bracegirdle was also known as, "the celebrated virgin," meaning that she was popular for not being the risqué stereotype that came with many actresses during this time.[6] The "celebrated virgin" label that Bracegirdle received was easily attributed to the moral teachings that Betterton also provided when training the young actress. Mary Betterton was such a positive light and educator to young actresses that King Charles II requested her as his first choice to train his nieces (daughters of his younger brother) to become great actresses, which is a huge reflection of how respected she was as an acting coach and mentor.[7] As Lady Anne and Lady Mary grew up to be Queens, the work of Betterton could be seen in their speeches with their "clear and direct voices".[7] Betterton had a lasting impact on these women, so much so that when Thomas Betterton died, Queen Anne granted her a yearly pension to ensure that she was taken care of financially.

Personal life

Mary Betterton was a granddaughter of Richard Burbage, one of William Shakespeare's men, one of the first and most famous Shakespearean actors. Very little or if anything is known of her childhood. The first information that can be found of her is that Sir William Davenant hired her to perform for the Duke's Company in 1661. She lived with other actresses in the company including Hester Davenport under his wife's care until she and the leading man of the company, Thomas Betterton, obtained a marriage license on Christmas Eve in 1662.[8] Their marriage lasted for some 48 years under "the strictest amity" until her husband's death in 1710.[9] Mrs. Betterton was different than many other English actresses, in that she attracted no public chatter or gossip about her personal life; she was simply not interested in enticing any foolish blather about her life off stage.

Selected roles

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mary Saunderson.

References

  1. ^ Chester, Joseph Lemuel (1876). The Publications of the Harleian Society. Vol. 10. London: Mitchell and Huges. p. 274. The marriage, baptismal, an burial registers of the collegiate
  2. ^ a b c d Larsen, K. . George Washington University. Archived from the original on 11 June 2007.
  3. ^ Halio, Jay. Romeo and Juliet. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1998. pg. 100 ISBN 0-313-30089-5
  4. ^ Gilder, Rosamond (1931). Enter the Actress: The First Woman in the Theatre. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 257526768.
  5. ^ Lanier, Henry Wysham. The first English actresses, from the initial appearance of women on the stage in 1660 till 1700. The Players, 1930.
  6. ^ Lowe, Robert W. Thomas Betterton. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co, 1891. Print.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Gay. Lady Macbeth in America: From the Stage to the White House. Palgrave Macmillan. 2010. Print.
  8. ^ Macqueen-Pope, W. Ladies First. W. H. Allen, 1952.
  9. ^ Milhous, Judith. "Betterton [Saunderson], Mary (c.1637–1712)." Judith Milhous. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Ed. David Cannadine. Oxford: OUP, 2004. 20 February 2017.

January 06, 2023
mary, saunderson, 1637, 1712, later, known, betterton, after, marriage, thomas, betterton, actress, singer, england, during, 1660s, 1690s, considered, first, english, actresses, drawing, actress, contents, stage, career, teaching, career, personal, life, selec. Mary Saunderson 1637 1712 later known as Mary Saunderson Betterton after her marriage to Thomas Betterton was an actress and singer in England during the 1660s and 1690s 1 2 She is considered one of the first English actresses Drawing of the actress Contents 1 Stage career 2 Teaching career 3 Personal life 4 Selected roles 5 ReferencesStage career EditHer most notable accomplishments are her being the first female actress to portray several of Shakespeare s woman characters on the professional stage She was the first to portray Juliet in Romeo and Juliet 3 Lady Macbeth in Macbeth and other female roles in The Tempest Hamlet as Ophelia 4 Measure for Measure Much Ado About Nothing Twelfth Night King Lear 2 In Shakespeare s day female roles were played by teenage boys as women and young girls were not allowed on the stage By the 1660s however the laws in England had changed allowing females to act professionally Mary s connections through her husband Thomas who was also a famous actor allowed her to play several significant roles 2 Saunderson had a reputation for virtue Colley Cibber described her as leading an unblemish d and sober life One of her earliest roles was in The Siege of Rhodes taking over the role of Ianthe in place of a Mrs Edward Coleman whom many agreed had done very poorly in the role Acting under the direction of William Davenant Mary did very well even to the point that she was frequently called Ianthe for the rest of her life She sang in several of Aphra Behn s operas Perhaps her greatest and most lauded accomplishment was her performance in the role of Lady Macbeth Actor playwright Colley Cibber considered her so great a Mistress of Nature who was the only actress able to throw out those quick and careless Strokes of Terror from the Disorder of a guilty Mind with a Facility in her Manner that render d them at once tremendous and delightful 5 She played the major female roles for about 30 years until she gradually faded out of the stage lights in the early 1690s Her final appearance was in John Dryden s last play Love Triumphant where she played the leading female role 2 Teaching career EditAs acting was one of Betterton s most beloved passions she also had the desire to put forth her talents as a way of educating and influencing the young minds around her Mary Betterton and her husband even informally adopted actress Anne Bracegirdle and played a key role in training her for the very successful and popular stage career that she would have Bracegirdle was also known as the celebrated virgin meaning that she was popular for not being the risque stereotype that came with many actresses during this time 6 The celebrated virgin label that Bracegirdle received was easily attributed to the moral teachings that Betterton also provided when training the young actress Mary Betterton was such a positive light and educator to young actresses that King Charles II requested her as his first choice to train his nieces daughters of his younger brother to become great actresses which is a huge reflection of how respected she was as an acting coach and mentor 7 As Lady Anne and Lady Mary grew up to be Queens the work of Betterton could be seen in their speeches with their clear and direct voices 7 Betterton had a lasting impact on these women so much so that when Thomas Betterton died Queen Anne granted her a yearly pension to ensure that she was taken care of financially Personal life EditMary Betterton was a granddaughter of Richard Burbage one of William Shakespeare s men one of the first and most famous Shakespearean actors Very little or if anything is known of her childhood The first information that can be found of her is that Sir William Davenant hired her to perform for the Duke s Company in 1661 She lived with other actresses in the company including Hester Davenport under his wife s care until she and the leading man of the company Thomas Betterton obtained a marriage license on Christmas Eve in 1662 8 Their marriage lasted for some 48 years under the strictest amity until her husband s death in 1710 9 Mrs Betterton was different than many other English actresses in that she attracted no public chatter or gossip about her personal life she was simply not interested in enticing any foolish blather about her life off stage Selected roles EditAurelia in The Cutter of Coleman Street by Abraham Cowley 1661 Ianthe in The Siege of Rhodes by William Davenant 1661 Bellmont in The Villain by Thomas Porter 1662 Juliet in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare 1662 Duchess of Malfi in The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster 1662 Cleora in The Bondman by Philip Massinger 1662 Pyramena in The Slighted Maid by Robert Stapylton 1663 Portia in The Adventures of Five Hours by Samuel Tuke 1663 Caesarina in The Stepmother by Robert Stapylton 1663 Graciana in The Comical Revenge by George Etherege 1664 Julia in Sir Solomon Single by John Caryll 1670 Erminia in The Forc d Marriage by Aphra Behn 1670 Parisatis in The Women s Conquest by Edward Howard 1670 Juliana in Juliana by John Crowne 1671 Mariamne in Herod and Mariamne by Samuel Pordage 1671 Isabella in Charles VIII of France by John Crowne 1671 Serina in The Six Days Adventure by Edward Howard 1671 Mandana in Cambyses King Of Persia by Elkanah Settle 1671 Mrs Jilt in Epsom Wells by Thomas Shadwell 1672 Lucia in The Citizen Turned Gentleman by Edward Ravenscroft 1672 Eugenia in The Fatal Jealousy by Henry Nevil Payne 1672 Laula in The Empress of Morocco by Elkanah Settle 1673 Juliana in The Reformation by Joseph Arrowsmith 1673 Aphelia in Love and Revenge by Elkanah Settle 1674 Timandra in Alcibiades by Thomas Otway 1675 Orunda in The Conquest of China by Elkanah Settle 1675 Florella in Abdelazer by Aphra Behn 1676 Isabella in Ibrahim by Elkanah Settle 1676 Lady Faddle in The Country Wit by John Crowne 1676 Belinda in The Man of Mode by George Etherege 1676 Amaryllis in Pastor Fido by Elkanah Settle 1676 Miranda in The Virtuoso by Thomas Shadwell 1676 Statira in The Siege of Babylon by Samuel Pordage 1677 Iphigenia in Circe by Charles Davenant 1677 Andromache in The Destruction of Troy by John Banks 1678 Isabella in Sir Patient Fancy Aphra Behn 1678 Jocasta in Oedipus by John Dryden 1678 Andromache in Troilus and Cressida by John Dryden 1679 Pulcheria in Theodosius by Nathaniel Lee 1680 Elianor in The Princess of Cleve by Nathaniel Lee 1680 Lady Grey in The Misery of Civil War by John Crowne 1680 Elvira in The Spanish Fryar by John Dryden 1680 Lucretia in Lucius Junius Brutus by Nathaniel Lee 1680 Camilla in The Royalist by Thomas D Urfey 1682 Queen Mother in The Massacre of Paris by Nathaniel Lee 1689 Cratisiclea in Cleomenes the Spartan Hero by John Dryden 1692 Wishwell in The Maid s Last Prayer by Thomas Southerne 1693 Ximena in Love Triumphant by John Dryden 1694 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mary Saunderson References Edit Chester Joseph Lemuel 1876 The Publications of the Harleian Society Vol 10 London Mitchell and Huges p 274 The marriage baptismal an burial registers of the collegiate a b c d Larsen K Women George Washington University Archived from the original on 11 June 2007 Halio Jay Romeo and Juliet Westport Greenwood Press 1998 pg 100 ISBN 0 313 30089 5 Gilder Rosamond 1931 Enter the Actress The First Woman in the Theatre Boston Houghton Mifflin OCLC 257526768 Lanier Henry Wysham The first English actresses from the initial appearance of women on the stage in 1660 till 1700 The Players 1930 Lowe Robert W Thomas Betterton Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co 1891 Print a b Smith Gay Lady Macbeth in America From the Stage to the White House Palgrave Macmillan 2010 Print Macqueen Pope W Ladies First W H Allen 1952 Milhous Judith Betterton Saunderson Mary c 1637 1712 Judith Milhous Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online ed Ed David Cannadine Oxford OUP 2004 20 February 2017 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mary Saunderson amp oldid 1045281406, 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