Response to Question #4

"Historical fiction is a popular genre, but when reading it can be difficult not to apply today's values to the past (the same is true when studying history in general). The character of Kit causes the reader to examine the role gender plays in our society. What can we learn about the differences between the role of men and women in Elizabethan society through the characters of our novel. In your argument, discuss both how they are treated and how they are portrayed. Finally, do you think they are realistic portrayals for the time period."

The novel Cue for Treason is set in Elizabethan England, at a time when the roles of men and women were very distinct. This is evidenced in the family of Peter Brownrigg, who is the novel’s adolescent protagonist who flees his home to escape from the law. The men in his family go out to do work while the females work at home. This contrast is also reflected with Mr. and Mrs. Desmond, a couple who makes their living as travelling actors and working in the theater. The men in these families play a dominant role, while the women backed the men up. In the novel, the women were generally not treated as well as the men, though they appeared content with where they were. Most of them were realistic portrayals of Elizabethan women, save for Kit, a girl who escapes a forced marriage and disguises herself as a boy in order to pursue a career as an actor.

In Elizabethan society, men act as the family breadwinners, while women play a supporting role in the family. They would perform copious amounts of work, such as tending to their children, cooking and preparing meals, mending clothes, and all sorts of housekeeping chores. In Peter’s family, for example, his father and brother would be the ones to go out to do work, such as tending to their animals and splitting logs (p. 216). His mother and sisters, on the other hand, would be making cheese or preparing meals (p. 31: “My sisters were cheese-making.”). In the example of Mr. and Mrs. Desmond, their roles are even further contrasted. Mr. Desmond would be the one who acted onstage and lead and direct the players of his company. Mrs. Desmond, however, would be backstage, doing nothing but stitching and darning costumes (p. 84: “…Mrs. Desmond, with nothing more important to do than darning and sticking costumes.”). The men would do the more “important” jobs, with the women helping them with numerous “minor” jobs.

Women in Elizabethan England were definitely not treated as equal to men. Rather, they were treated as second-rate, and performed the upholding roles. Overall, they appeared content with their role, and were happy to do their jobs. This was probably because they knew no other way of working, and for the time period, it was the only way to sustain a family. However, Kit Kirkstone (a.k.a. Katharine Russell) feels differently, and she challenges the social norm of excluding women from the theatre. Having been forced into a formal public engagement to a man who wants to marry her only for her property, Kit escapes it by running away from home and disguising herself as a boy to become an actor, as women are not allowed to act. The very notion of it was completely unheard of. (p. 84): “There would be a fearful scandal if any of our audiences had realized that we had brought a young girl on to the public stage.” But, aside from Kit, the women in the novel are portrayed as “ladylike” and seem satisfied with their role in the family.

Peter’s mother and sisters, along with Mrs. Desmond, are accurate representations of Elizabethan-era women. They take a backseat role in their households, with Mrs. Brownrigg and her daughters maintaining their home and completing various chores around the house. Mrs. Desmond also worked in a similar way, with a comparatively minor role to her husband. As travelling actors, Mr. Desmond and his company would perform the plays, while Mrs. Desmond would fix costumes and organize their props (p. 51). Kit, however, is not a realistic portrayal; she did not adhere to the social norms of the time. She escaped from a forced marriage, acts onstage, and eventually ends up working as a spy for Queen Elizabeth’s Secret Service. Conventionally, women of the time would live peaceful lives and make no attempt at avoiding forced marriages. They would be expected to support their husband and family, and would not break any social norms. Even Queen Elizabeth describes Kit, in the novel, as “very unladylike”, citing how Kit went “gallivanting about the country on stolen horses disguised as a boy”. Suffice to say, all women in Cue for Treason were realistic, save for Kit.