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Could a nunnery also refer to a brothel in the time of Shakespeare?
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
"Nunnery" had two very different meanings in Tudor England. Modern dictionaries only list one definition of the word, which is, of course, a convent. However, if you look up "nunnery" in a dictionary of archaic words and uses, you will see that "nunnery" did mean both a convent and a brothel in Shakespeare's day. Its meaning as a "brothel" was colloquial, though, even in Tudor England. Despite the use of "nunnery" as "house of ill repute" in Shakespearean England, there can be no question that Hamlet is referring to the standard definition of the word - a house of meditation for women who have devoted themselves to God. Only by entering a nunnery can Ophelia ensure that she will not procreate and become a breeder of sinners.
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
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This could refer to William Shakespeare's Lost Years - see the related question link below.
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This could refer to Willam Shakespeare's lost years - see the related question link below.
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Why are 1564-1592 called the lost years?
This could refer to William Shakespeare's Lost Years - see the related question link below.
Shakespeare's rumored mistress is usually referred to by what name?
William Shakespeare makes reference to a Dark Lady in his sonnets - but no-one knows who this dark lady is. (Shakespeare also appears to refer to Anne Hathaway in Sonnet CXLV). There may not even have been a Dark Lady: many sonnetteers at the time invented girlfriends to write poems about. We know that Shakespeare rented a room from George Wilkins early in his career. And we know that George Wilkins managed a brothel at around the same time. Perhaps William Shakespeare knew one of the working girls. (John Mortimer suggest this very convincingly in his 1977 series of TV plays William Shakespeare).
Why are the years 1586 through 1592 known as the lost years?
This could refer to Willam Shakespeare's lost years - see the related question link below.
Was Shakespeare an actor what was the term used to refer to actors?
Shakespeare and the other actors were known as "players". It says that on his application for a coat of arms.
Do children go to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre?
Sure, children are welcome at most performances at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. They often have school tours there. You are aware that the name "Shakespeare's Globe theatre" can only refer to the theatre built in 1997 and can never refer to the one built in 1599, aren't you?
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Horse Isle quest answer: Macbeth
