When a future President of the US played Desdemona

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When Othello was performed in a lawless Texas during the American Civil War, Ulysses S Grant played Desdemona. He went on to lead the northern states to victory in the War and to become the 18th President. Professor James Shapiro of Columbia University, New York, describes the raucous nature of Texas at the time and the opening of the Union Theatre in Corpus Christi. Image: Ulysses S Grant Credit: Getty Images