Shakespeare wrote several comedies in which heroines disguise as men, exclusively in the 1590's. When we think of the theatrical convention of those days, those disguises evoke many conjectures to us about how the stage was like. There were no actresses, so the female parts were played by boy-actors. Though the Elizabethan audience accepted this convention, Shakespeare seemed to treat those disguises unconventionally; as a means of foregrounding the ‘body’ of a boy-actor.

For example, in Twelfth Night, Viola; one of the identical twins, parts from her brother Sebastian due to a shipwreck. She encounters some crises of her identity, because of her male-disguise. These crises thrust the question into the minds of the audience, who really is on stage, is she a woman, or a man? As a result, the audience was forced to think over the body of the boy-actor playing Viola.

Thus we cannot help wondering why Shakespeare made the convention nontransparent. There seemed to be several answers to this question. One of them was the current of homosexualism in Elizabethan England. Another was, most probably, to suffice the desire of the female audience by realizing an ideal woman before their eyes. The boy actor who transcends the boundary of sex was a target of desires of both sexes.

But most of all, we must praise the craftsmanship of Shakespeare, because he kept the illusion on stage. There may have been a kind of interplay between the provocation Shakespeare plotted on stage and the desires of the audience.

Studies of Artaud's thoughts on theatre have not sufficiently taken account of his practical experiences. In this paper, centering on his productions of Vitrac, I will show that Artaud, who had started from reflections on the nature of representation in general (as opposed to the real) and of representation in theatre where actors are invited to reenact dramas mimetically, was highly consistent in his search for reality and language (in its broad sens). In his production of' Les Mystères de l'Amour, a play full of nightmarish images, or Victor ou les Enfants au Pouvoir, a parody of the bourgeois family drama, as well as in the plan for Le Coup de Trafalgar (not realized), a well-made light comedy of Parisians upset by small and great events (a swindle, World War 1), Artaud aimed to force the public out of their unconscious state, by introducing cuts and unsteadiness, destroying traditional frames, or “citing” conventional patterns of acting. Artaud thus preceded the dominant stage directors of the following period and his experimental ideas in «La Mise en scene et la Métaphysique» included in Le Théâtre et son Double, can be seen to have had an international impact in the 60s and a continuing influence ever since.

Traditionally, most critics', interpretations of Alarcón's La verdad sospechosa has focused on the question of whether the play stresses moral worth, social criticism or mere aesthetic principles because of García's behavior which goes against the grain of social morality, and leads to the undesired marriage of the denouement.

It is clear that Alarcón constructed his dramatic plot according to the demands of the Spanish Baroque drama as we witness the unfolding of the action, which relies on the principal character's scheming, and the moral, social and aesthetic elements revealed therein.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest, in addition, that Alarcón's original plan was possibly to insist on the primacy of the main theme as the character's lies over action, and simultaneously to emphasize social criticism and moral meaning in order both to offer a social environment and to attract the spectators' attention. However, shortly after the play commences, García's initial unintentional error—his mistake over a name—constitutes a cardinal stratagem to tangle the plot of the drama instead of García's lies, which would verge on mere dramatic components for entertainment, and that in the ending, Alarcón elucidated moral and social meaning as a main theme again. It would thus seem that the spectators enjoyed the justicia poétiica alarconiana, but it is unclear if Alarcón's intentions toward the public were specifically didactic.

Dorimant is a Don Juan and is skeptic in matrimony. On the one hand Dorimant is swearing a sincere oath to Harriet; on the other he is telling his mistress (Mrs Loveit) that he is only marrying Harriet for financial motives and trying to see the other mistress again. It is unlikely and cynical that this double-dealer falls seriously in love with Harriet and ends the comedy having certainly won her heart. We know this is a convention of Restoration comedy, but there is no convincing process.

A little ill nature of irony makes this comedy more witty and the essential quality of Restoration comedy is the unlikely ending promoted by this irony: this might be regarded as a defect. Etherege must have recognized the difficulty how to end the comedy. That is why he introduced the device (Sir Fopling's entrance near the end, Old Bellair's concluding lines and the epilogue) to lighten the weight of the moral issues cocentrated on Dorimant and to relieve the unnaturalness seen at the close. As a natural consequence of it, however, he changed the tone of the play, which caused the audience to receive an ambiguous impression.

In Les Précieuses ridicules (1659) of Molière, two young bourgeois ladies long for the affected manners of the court. They are shamed to find themselves captivated by two valets in the disguise of noblemen. Moliere does not agree to the idea of transcending class barriers for any reason

In Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard (1730) of Marivaux, Dorante wants to test the character of Silvia by disguising himself as a valet. A similar idea makes her disguise herself as a maid. They are attracted to each other and decide to overcome their social prejudices. For Marivaux, it is possible to clear the barrier of class, though, as a result, each of our heroes chooses a suitable partner belonging to the same class.

In Ruy Blas (1838) of Victor Hugo, a lackey called Ruy Blas, sent to the court as a nobleman, wins the Queen's favor. When he reveals his true identity, the Queen, repelled at first, forgives him at the very moment of his death. Hugo seems to insist that love can overcome the barrier of class.

The passage from Molière to Hugo via Marivaux coincides marvelously with the evolution of the bourgeoisie and the popularization of the idea of equality during last three centuries in France.

The Peking Opera actress Shisandan, who was born in Jiangsu China at the end of the 19th Century and had been performing on stage since early childhood, and who was highly regarded as a skilled performer in China, came to Japan leading a troupe in April of 1926. Starting in Kobe and extending throughout Japan, she performed both new works and classic pieces from Peking Opera, and introduced the state of Peking Opera at that time and the existence of the Peking Opera actress. She also appeared in a play within a play which was part of a new Kabuki piece, and fulfilled her role in Japanese and Chinese theater relations. However, because of these shows in Japan, Shisandan was unexpectedly caught in the midst of a war between military factions in China and international conflict between Japan and China. Unfavorable conditions continued to persist and there were many saddening aspects to her life. It can be said that Shisandan is a pioneering figure among Peking Opera actresses. Centering on the performances in Japan, the short life of Shisandan will be introduced here.