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The role of Othello has been played by a number of famous actors in history. The first was Richard Burbage, one of the leading actors listed in the First Folio. At the time, Shakespeare's stage was a model of flexibility and efficiency. How did actors manage to perform such a variety of scenes on one stage? One dramatic moment occurs in the final bed scene in Act 5, Scene 2, when Desdemona appears in bed. How did they play a "bed" scene?

• Richard Burbage
• Props and structures on Shakespeare's stage
• Enter Desdemona in her bed?
• Books on actors and acting

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