Ellen Too Human to be Called Divine

Ellen Terry was not only one of the greatest actresses of the nineteenth century, she was also one of the most remarkable women of her time. Born in 1847, she married three times, defying Victorian morality. Her liaison with Edwards Godwin, with whom she bore two illegitimate children, Edward and Edith, brought much scandal. After Godwin left her, she resumed her career on stage, endearing audiences everywhere. Eventually she became Sir Henry Irving’s leading lady, playing opposite him in all of Shakespeare’s greatest roles, at the Lyceum Theatre, which she remained until 1902.