Elizabeth Barry

Elizabeth Barry (1658–1713) was an English stage actress of the Restoration era, renowned for tragic performances and long associated with the United Company and Thomas Betterton.

Thomas Betterton: Thomas Betterton was an English actor and theatre manager who became a leading figure on the Restoration stage. Barry performed in the company Betterton led and was praised as his foremost tragic counterpart.
Monimia: Monimia is the persecuted heroine of Thomas Otway’s tragedy The Orphan. Barry’s performance made Monimia one of the roles most closely associated with her.
Restoration theatre: Restoration theatre is the English stage culture that developed after the monarchy was restored in 1660. Barry’s career belonged to a theatrical world reopened after the Interregnum.
Restoration actresses: Restoration actresses were women who performed publicly on the English professional stage after 1660. Barry’s prominence belongs to the first generation of English women permitted to act professionally.
John Dryden: John Dryden was an English poet, playwright, and critic whose career spanned the Restoration period. Dryden wrote tragic roles that helped establish Barry’s reputation, including Monimia in The Orphan.
Isabella in The Fatal Marriage: Isabella is the central heroine of Thomas Southerne’s tragedy The Fatal Marriage. Barry’s portrayal of Isabella became a touchstone of her tragic acting.
The King's Company: The King's Company was one of two royal acting companies established in London after the Restoration. Barry began her professional stage career with this company in the 1670s.
Female stage performance: Female stage performance is the public enactment of dramatic roles by women actors. Barry’s celebrated performances helped establish women’s dramatic authority on the English stage.
Aphra Behn: Aphra Behn was an English playwright, poet, and prose writer of the Restoration era. Behn’s The Rover gave Barry the comic role of Hellena, showing her range beyond tragedy.
Belvidera: Belvidera is the tragic heroine of Thomas Otway’s Venice Preserv’d. Barry’s Belvidera was renowned for expressing grief and emotional extremity.

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William WycherleyRelated: Barry performed in Restoration theatre as Wycherley’s plays entered the repertory.