The Ethical Echo

Claiming Space in a World That Silences Women

By Any Other Name is a dual-timeline novel that weaves together the struggles of two women—modern-day playwright Melina Green and Elizabethan poet Emilia Bassano—both fighting for their voices to be heard in a world determined to silence them. What does it mean to risk everything for the sake of art?

In the present day, Melina Green faces an uphill battle in the male-dominated theater industry. Her latest work, inspired by her ancestor Emilia Bassano, seems destined to remain unseen until her best friend takes matters into her own hands, submitting it to a festival under a male pseudonym. This bold but risky decision forces Melina to confront her own doubts about failure, her belief in her talent, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding authorship.

Meanwhile, in 1581, Emilia Bassano—a ward of English aristocrats—finds herself stifled by the constraints placed on women of her time. Despite her remarkable gift for storytelling, society offers her no platform to showcase her talent. Her position as a mistress to the powerful Lord Chamberlain grants her a front-row seat to the vibrant, male-dominated world of theater, sparking her dream to have her own words performed on stage. But in a time when a woman’s name could never grace a playbill, Emilia devises a plan: recruit a young actor named William Shakespeare to bring her vision to life.

The novel’s strength lies in its ability to illuminate the parallels between past and present, showing how systemic barriers to women’s creative expression endure across centuries.

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