Prior to the Restoration in 1660, restrictions existed that prevented professional actresses from appearing on British theatrical stages. Boys and young men portrayed female characters such as Desdemona in Othello.
A Venetian beauty who eloped with Othello, a man of a different race, Desdemona was an honest, gentle, and unconventional woman betrayed by her husband’s ensign Iago.
Margaret Hughes
Margaret (Peg) Hughes (1630-1719) was not the first professional actress on an English stage, but she may have been the first woman to portray Shakespeare’s Desdemona. The occasion was a production of Othello performed by Thomas Killigrew’s King’s Company of actors at the Vere Street Theatre December 8, 1660. Some scholars believe that Anne Marshall, the principal female in Killigrew’s company, performed the role that night, but there are no known records of her playing Desdemona.
Anne Bracegirdle
An audience favourite, Anne Bracegirdle (c 1663-1748), was one of the highest paid and most prominent actresses of her time. A charismatic figure, her performances in comedies were outstanding, but her acting in tragedies was said to be pathetic. Until well into the 19th century, most actresses emulated Bracegirdle’s interpretation of Desdemona as a passive, subordinate victim.
Margaret Woffington
Margaret (Peg) Woffington (c 1720-1760) was a highly acclaimed Irish actress who launched her professional career as Ophelia in Hamlet in 1737 at Dublin's Smock Alley Theatre. She excelled in breeches (male) roles such as Sir Harry Wildair in The Constant Couple, and despite her almost unmanageable harsh voice, she succeeded in female roles. Woffington triumphed as Desdemona opposite Spranger Barry in Othello during the Irish actor’s first appearance at Drury Lane Theatre in 1746.
Sarah Siddons
The best-known tragedienne of the 18th century, Sarah (Kemble) Siddons (1755-1831) successfully portrayed Desdemona opposite her brothers J. P. Kemble and Charles Kemble at Drury Lane. Fresh from her outstanding interpretation of Lady Macbeth, she inspired incredulity in audiences and critics with her transition from a murderous to a gentle woman. With her wondrous portrayal of Desdemona as a subdued, sweet, and meek individual, Siddons increased her already great popularity and influence.
Helena Faucit
In 1839, at London’s Haymarket Theatre, Helena Faucit (1817-1898) starred in the role of Desdemona opposite Samuel Phelps and William Charles Macready who alternated in the roles of Othello and Iago. Instead of a meek and subdued woman, her creation displayed gaiety and brightness during the early scenes as Othello’s bride, and great sadness in the last act of the play. Faucit’s interpretation of Desdemona restored the character’s rightful place and influence in the play’s action.
Ellen Terry
The leading British Shakespearean actress of her time, Ellen Terry (1847-1928) was a woman of grace and beauty who performed with apparent naturalness. At the Lyceum Theatre on May 2, 1881, she began her long association with the character of Desdemona, with Edwin Booth and Henry Irving performing together for the first time.
In the role that became one of her most celebrated, “Miss Terry played Desdemona in a manner entirely worthy of the great actors who took the two principal characters”. With wonderful skill, she emphasized the ill-fated heroine’s defenceless innocence, modesty, and devotion. In her evaluation of earlier portrayals, Ellen Terry commented, “Desdemona’s unconventionality is ignored. She is not all prim and demure; on the contrary, she is genially expressive, the kind of woman who being devoid of coquetry behaves as she feels”.
Peggy Ashcroft
“For once we have a Desdemona worthy of the great Othello”, noted the “Evening News” following the opening of Othello March 19, 1930 at London’s Savoy Theatre. Peggy Ashcroft ((1907-1991) received nearly unanimous praise for her exquisite presentation of Desdemona opposite Paul Robeson in the title role. Other critics referred to Ashcroft’s Desdemona as beautiful beyond qualification, and beautifully simple and sincere. In the first production featuring a black actor since Ira Aldridge in the 1860s, the performers received twenty curtain calls, though a week after the opening, some less than kind criticisms appeared.
Many actresses who successfully portrayed Desdemona in Othello continued their careers with the character in their repertoires.
Sources:
- A Companion to Restoration Drama by Susan J. Owen, Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 2001
- The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare Ed. by Michael Dobson & Stanley W. Wells, Oxford University Press 2001
Kathleen Airdrie - Kathleen has thirty years' freelance writing experience covering history, biographical profiles, environmental and social issues
