By Dr Elizabeth Steinway, PhD, Colorado State University — The Conversation, 21 March 2022
The role of Desdemona in ‘Othello’ wasn’t performed by a woman until 1660 — about six decades after Shakespeare wrote the play. When Shakespeare was writing for the early modern stage, young men and boys performed all the women’s parts. When English theatergoers saw women on the public stage for the first time, the diarist Samuel Pepys recorded it as “the first time that ever saw Women come upon the stage.” King Charles subsequently issued a royal proclamation making it official that women’s parts “maie be performed by woemen.”
No clear legal statute prohibited women from acting on the public stage, and women acted professionally in other countries during this period. Women could also perform in private venues such as masques enjoyed by aristocrats and country house entertainments at private estates. There was something deemed inappropriate, however, about women professionally acting on the public stage. These restrictions may be related to negative views of acting generally — Puritan writer William Prynne declared that “popular stage-playes are sinfull, heathenish, lewde, ungodly spectacles.” For women in particular, it was generally deemed indecent to participate in and make money from such public performances. Even though many writers condemned men wearing female attire on stage, to them it was still preferable to having women become public spectacles on the professional stage. Although women weren’t on the public stage during Shakespeare’s lifetime, they were involved with theatrical productions in other ways — making costumes, collecting admissions fees, selling food, and even owning playing houses. Since King Charles’ declaration, women have played an increasingly diverse role in Shakespearean theater, including playing lead male roles. This article has been republished under Creative Commons licence.