In a JSTOR Daily article, Betsy Golden Kellem examines gender play in nineteenth-century theater and how performance became a space for questioning social norms.
As theater reached broader audiences, it took on new cultural weight. Women appeared more frequently in roles associated with male tragic heroes such as Hamlet and Romeo, emerging alongside changing ideas about respectability, class, and who theater was for. Kellem situates this shift within a longer history of gender play onstage while noting how the nineteenth century brought it into more prominent and serious roles. Cross-gender casting moved into the center of theatrical culture and became part of how audiences engaged with questions about identity and representation.
Actors including Adah Isaacs Menken, Charlotte Cushman, and Sarah Bernhardt illustrate how these performances were received. Menken’s work in Mazeppa drew attention that often focused on her physical presence. Cushman’s portrayal of Romeo earned recognition alongside commentary shaped by expectations about women’s ambition. Bernhardt’s Hamlet prompted debate about interpretation and character.
Critical responses varied. Some reviewers described these performances as remarkable, while others interpreted them through existing ideas about gender. Even praise reflected assumptions about which roles a woman could convincingly embody.
Image: Lafayette Photo, London. Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet. June 1899. Wikimedia Commons.
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