Caroline Thielo
Encyclopedia
Caroline Amalie Thielo was a Danish
actress, one of her country's first professional native female actors, and said to be the first actress ever employed at the Royal Danish Theatre
in Copenhagen
. She was very popular in the mid 18th century, and was also employed as a translator of plays for the theatre.
(1707–1763, the founder and first director of the Royal Danish Theatre), she debuted at the age of twelve on the temporary stage at Læderstræde, where her father's troupe had performed since 1747 after public theatre was once more made legal in Denmark, and until the building of the Royal Theatre was finished in 1748.
Thielo was considered to be the leading interpreter of mistress, heroine and girl's parts, and became very popular. Among her roles was Agnès in Fruentimmerskolen by Molière
, and Isabella in Don Ranudo by Ludvig Holberg
. Amongst the plays she translated for the theatre were Deucalion, and Pyrrha, which was performed in 1753. As with many actresses of this age, she was considered to be a prostitute; this was a common view in this period, as it was considered indecent of women to expose themselves in public, and Caroline Thielo, being young, beautiful and unmarried, was particularly exposed to this – the novelty of female actors drew people to the theatre; it was said that many people came there just to see the women on the stage, who were considered very exotic.
mentions in his work on the Danish theater, Thielo was murdered when she was only 19 years old. She is said to have had an affair with the Russian emissary in Copenhagen Baron Johann Albrecht von Korff, who belonged to the freemasons; she had tricked him into revealing some secret signs, and as a consequence, he murdered her by having his servant blood let her to death. However this story is pure fabrication, and does not seem to have had any adherents until Overskou mentioned it in 1856. Other sources claim that, in reality, she died of the fever
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
actress, one of her country's first professional native female actors, and said to be the first actress ever employed at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. She was very popular in the mid 18th century, and was also employed as a translator of plays for the theatre.
Early life and career
Born child of the organist Carl August ThieloCarl August Thielo
Carl August Thielo was a Danish composer.-External links:...
(1707–1763, the founder and first director of the Royal Danish Theatre), she debuted at the age of twelve on the temporary stage at Læderstræde, where her father's troupe had performed since 1747 after public theatre was once more made legal in Denmark, and until the building of the Royal Theatre was finished in 1748.
Thielo was considered to be the leading interpreter of mistress, heroine and girl's parts, and became very popular. Among her roles was Agnès in Fruentimmerskolen by Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
, and Isabella in Don Ranudo by Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
. Amongst the plays she translated for the theatre were Deucalion, and Pyrrha, which was performed in 1753. As with many actresses of this age, she was considered to be a prostitute; this was a common view in this period, as it was considered indecent of women to expose themselves in public, and Caroline Thielo, being young, beautiful and unmarried, was particularly exposed to this – the novelty of female actors drew people to the theatre; it was said that many people came there just to see the women on the stage, who were considered very exotic.
Death
According to legend that the Danish theatrical historian Thomas OverskouThomas Overskou
Thomas Overskou was a Danish actor, playwright and theatre historian and a titular professor in 1852. His plays are preserved in the Dramatic Collection of the Royal Danish Library.-Life:...
mentions in his work on the Danish theater, Thielo was murdered when she was only 19 years old. She is said to have had an affair with the Russian emissary in Copenhagen Baron Johann Albrecht von Korff, who belonged to the freemasons; she had tricked him into revealing some secret signs, and as a consequence, he murdered her by having his servant blood let her to death. However this story is pure fabrication, and does not seem to have had any adherents until Overskou mentioned it in 1856. Other sources claim that, in reality, she died of the fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
.