Shakespeare wrote every word of his plays with the firm expectation that the female parts would be acted by men or boys. No female was allowed to act in a public theater. That would be shockingly indecent.

In England, that expectation was dashed in a 1660 production of Othello. We know for sure that Desdemona was played by a woman. We're just not sure which woman it was. This episode explains how English theater came to accept women on the stage.

Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.

This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present.

Join ⁠⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows.

Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ as Her Half of History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices