Women were forbidden by law in Shakespeare's day to appear on stage. One woman who did was Mary Frith, the notorious transvestite, and she was charged with the offence. (They let her off pretty easily though) So obviously the female parts in any plays written at that time had to be played by males. Teenaged boys whose voices had not broken played the parts of the leading women.
Men and boys played these parts. It was considered indecent for women to appear on stage.
Ned Alleyn acted for The Admiral's Men. It was an acting company which played at a number of playhouses over the years.
Males
Young boys.
Richard Burbage played most of the male leads. Will Kempe was a clown who played comic parts. He was later replaced by Robert Armin. John Heminges and Henry Condell were two other actors who were in the same company, along with Thomas Pope and Augustine Philips.
Men and boys played these parts. It was considered indecent for women to appear on stage.
Young boys played the role of women.
In Shakespeare's time, all female roles were played by young boys or men because women were not allowed to perform on stage. This was a common practice due to societal norms and restrictions at the time.
Ned Alleyn acted for The Admiral's Men. It was an acting company which played at a number of playhouses over the years.
Males
Young boys.
my mum
The female roles in Shakespeare's day were performed by Boy Players: young actors who had not yet reached puberty and therefore did not have masculine voices. Some of the Boy Players were Apprentice Actors, the modern equivalent would be Interns.
Richard Burbage played most of the male leads. Will Kempe was a clown who played comic parts. He was later replaced by Robert Armin. John Heminges and Henry Condell were two other actors who were in the same company, along with Thomas Pope and Augustine Philips.
Shakespeare's plays have regularly been played in London from about 1590 to the present day, with the exception of the years 1642 to 1660.
The theatrical company with which we associate Shakespeare the most, the Lord Chamberlain's (afterward King's) Men, played four theatres: The Theatre, The Curtain, The Globe, and the Blackfriars.
Women were barred from the stage. Female parts were acted by Boy Players whose voices had not deepened through puberty. Some were apprentices learning the art of acting as a profession. On occasion older men might play comic women characters in the same way that Monty Python or Tyler Perry do women's roles.