This dissertation focuses on the contribution of three English actresses to the construction and presentation of English national identity, from 1660-1707. It provides a narrative of the Restoration period through looking at the lives and careers of Nell Gwyn, Elizabeth Barry, and Anne Bracegirdle, as representative of the Early Restoration (1660-1675), Mid-Restoration (1675-1688), and Late Restoration (1688-1707). The project, through biographical, historical, political, and anecdotal studies, as well as close readings of two plays containing roles written for each actress, studies the importance each of these actresses had as icons of the Restoration age.

Each case study investigates the complex construction of actress-as-nation during the late seventeenth century. Nell Gwyn represented the brightest and darkest parts of Charles II’s reign, through both her stage career and personal life. Elizabeth Barry was the symbol, onstage and off, of the turmoil and questioning spirit of the years leading up to James II’s short, troubled reign. Anne Bracegirdle became King William III and Queen Mary II’s best public relations tool, through both her more conservative roles and her chaste offstage life. Their lives and careers demonstrate that the Restoration actress deserves greater attention for her participation in and creation of England’s shifting identity during this forty-seven year period. Scholars, teachers, and theatre artists are called to make the connections between performer, play text, and the greater political and social circumstances surrounding them in order to understand the power of the live performance and its enduring complexity.