Mary Saunderson

Corrected grammar; improved phrasing and punctuation

← Previous revision Revision as of 23:11, 19 April 2026 Line 2: Line 2: {{EngvarB|date=February 2018}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}} [[File:Mary Saunderson 17th century.jpg|thumb|Drawing of the actress]] ⚫ [[File:Mary Saunderson 17th century.jpg|thumb|Drawing of the actress.]]'''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.<ref name="society">{{cite book |volume=10 |pages=274 |year=1876 |location=London |publisher=Mitchell and Huges |first=Joseph Lemuel |last=Chester |authorlink=Joseph Lemuel Chester| title=The Publications of the Harleian Society |quote=The marriage, baptismal, and burial registers of the collegiate |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pDMEAAAAIAAJ&q=Mary+Saunderson&pg=PA274}}</ref><ref name=edu>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwu.edu/%7Eklarsen/theatre.html#women |title=Women |first=K |last=Larsen |publisher=George Washington University |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611201136/http://www.gwu.edu/~klarsen/theatre.html |archivedate=11 June 2007 }}</ref> She is considered one of the first English actresses.
⚫ '''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.<ref name="society">{{cite book |last=Chester |first=Joseph Lemuel |author-link=Joseph Lemuel Chester |title=The Publications of the Harleian Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pDMEAAAAIAAJ&q=Mary+Saunderson&pg=PA274 |publisher=Mitchell and Huges |location=London |year=1876 |volume=10 |page=274 |quote=The marriage, baptismal, and burial registers of the collegiate}}</ref><ref name=edu>{{cite web |last=Larsen |first=K |title=Women |url=http://www.gwu.edu/%7Eklarsen/theatre.html#women |url-status=dead |publisher=George Washington University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611201136/http://www.gwu.edu/~klarsen/theatre.html |archive-date=11 June 2007}}</ref> She is considered one of the first English actresses.

== Stage career == == Stage career == Her most notable accomplishments are being the first female actress to portray several of Shakespeare's woman characters on the professional stage. She was the first to portray [[Juliet Capulet|Juliet]] in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'',<ref>Halio, Jay. ''Romeo and Juliet''. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1998. pg. 100 {{ISBN|0-313-30089-5}}</ref> [[Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare)|Lady Macbeth]] in ''[[Macbeth]]'', and other female roles in ''[[The Tempest]]'', ''[[Hamlet]]'' (as [[Ophelia (character)|Ophelia]]),<ref>{{cite book Her most notable accomplishment is being the first female actress to portray several of Shakespeare's woman characters on the professional stage. She was the first to portray [[Juliet Capulet|Juliet]] in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'',<ref>Halio, Jay. ''Romeo and Juliet''. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1998. pg. 100 {{ISBN|0-313-30089-5}}</ref> [[Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare)|Lady Macbeth]] in ''[[Macbeth]]'', and other female roles in ''[[The Tempest]]'', ''[[Hamlet]]'' (as [[Ophelia (character)|Ophelia]]),<ref>{{cite book |last=Gilder |first=Rosamond |title=Enter the Actress: The First Woman in the Theatre |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin]] |location=Boston, MA |year=1931 |oclc=257526768 |ref=none}}</ref> ''[[Measure for Measure]]'', ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'', ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', and ''[[King Lear]]''.<ref name=edu/> In Shakespeare's day, female roles were played by teenage boys, as women and young girls were not allowed on the stage. However, by the 1660s 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.<ref name=edu/> Saunderson had a reputation for virtue; [[Colley Cibber]] described her as leading "an unblemish'd and sober life". |title = Enter the Actress: The First Woman in the Theatre |last = Gilder |first = Rosamond |publisher = [[Houghton Mifflin]] |location = Boston |year = 1931 |oclc = 257526768 |ref = none }}</ref> ''[[Measure for Measure]]'', ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'', ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', and ''[[King Lear]]''.<ref name=edu/> 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.<ref name=edu/> 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 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".<ref>[[Henry Wysham Lanier|Lanier, Henry Wysham]]. The first English actresses, from the initial appearance of women on the stage in 1660 till 1700. The Players, 1930.</ref> 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.<ref name=edu/> One of her earliest roles was in ''[[The Siege of Rhodes]]'', taking over the role of Ianthe in place of Mrs. Edward Coleman, who – 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".<ref>[[Henry Wysham Lanier|Lanier, Henry Wysham]]. The first English actresses, from the initial appearance of women on the stage in 1660 till 1700. The Players, 1930.</ref> 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.<ref name=edu/>

== Teaching career == == Teaching career ==