ABSTRACT
On Shrove Tuesday 1626, Henrietta Maria took the stage at the English court, acting a French pastoral with the company of her ‘demoiselles’. Recent studies of Caroline culture have recognized the importance of Henrietta Maria, both as a theatrical patron and as a key participant in the direction of court masque and theatre. This chapter attempts to sketch the cultural event set in motion by Henrietta Maria’s initiatives at the Caroline court. The breach of the English taboo against members of royalty speaking on stage was exceeded, however, by the shock of sexual transgression, indeed usurpation, in Henrietta Maria’s parley of women. Together with female acting Henrietta Maria introduced a cult of platonic love, mediated through French romance and pastoral drama, which projected women centre-stage as the embodiments of ideal beauty. The chapter suggests that the threat of the actress was compounded by Henrietta Maria’s political engagement.
