Premise: The Lord Chamberlain 's Men was a company of actors , or a `` playing company '' as it would have been known , for which Shakespeare wrote for most of his career . Richard Burbage . Burbage was a popular actor by his early 20s . He played the title role in the first performances of many of Shakespeare 's plays , including Hamlet , Othello , Richard III , and King Lear . But he was in great demand and also appeared in the plays of many of the great contemporary writers , such as Ben Jonson ( the title role in Volpone , and Subtle in The Alchemist ) , John Marston ( The Malcontent ) , John Webster ( The Duchess of Malfi ) and Beaumont and Fletcher ( The Maid 's Tragedy ) . Burbage 's power and scope as an actor is revealed in the sheer size of the roles he played .
Hypothesis: Richard Burbage played roles.
Label: ENTAILMENT