Shakespearean women's roles were originally written to be played by men.是什么意思？

Shakespearean women's roles were originally written to be played by men.

莎士比亚笔下的女性角色在创作之初是打算由男性来扮演的。

Shakespearean

adj. 莎士比亚的，莎士比亚作品的，莎士比亚风格的；

例句
Our comic play was a burlesque of a Shakespearean tragedy.
我们的喜剧是对莎士比亚一出悲剧的讽刺性模仿.

roles

n. 作用( role的名词复数 )，地位，角色；

例句
Vitamin C has many roles to play in weight control. Firstly, it is needed for hormone production.
维生素C在控制体重方面扮演着多重角色。首先，荷尔蒙的生成有赖于它。

were

be的过去时复数和第二人称单数形式，有时代替 was,用于条件从句、动词 wish 之后等；

例句
Shops, houses, and vehicles were set ablaze.
店铺、房子和车辆全都陷于火海。

originally

adv. 起初，原来，独创地，独出心裁地，自来，本；

例句
Sunset Boulevard was originally conceived by Wilder as an astringent satire on Hollywood.
怀尔德最初是想把《日落大道》拍成一部对好莱坞的辛辣讽刺片。

written

adj. 书面的，写成文字的，明显受到…影响，（感情）全挂在脸上；v. 写( write的过去分词)，写信；

例句
...a written declaration by someone, authorizing another person to act as his agent.
一份某人授权他人为其代理人的书面申明

to

prep. 向，朝着，到，关于，属于；adv. 朝一个方向的，到某种状态，关闭；

例句
I suggest you leave it to an expert...
我建议你把它留给专家来解决。

be

v. 是，有，存在，做，成为，发生；aux. 用来表示某人或某物即主语本身，用来表示某人或某物属于某一群体或有某种性质；

例句
The older child should be able to prepare a simple meal...
那个年纪稍大的孩子应当会做一顿简单的饭菜。

played

v. 演奏( play的过去式和过去分词 )，演出，参加比赛，捉弄；

例句
The band played the Czech anthem.
乐队演奏了捷克国歌。

by

prep. 在…旁边，表示方式，由于，经过；adv. 经过，表示保留或保存时用，短暂拜访；

例句
...expensive make-up that we saw being advertised by a beautiful model...
我们所见的由一位漂亮模特代言的昂贵化妆品

men

n. 人( man的名词复数 )，人类，男人，男子汉；

例句
Many men still have difficulty accepting a woman as a business partner...
许多男性仍然无法接受女性商业伙伴。