One artistic reason for breeches roles was that some storylines included young boy characters, but the actual performance required an adult's vocal strength and stage experience in addition to a high, boyish voice.
Other breeches roles were created due to the need for an adult male character to seem other-worldly (Orpheus in Orfeo ed Euridice) or unmanly (Prince Idamante in Idomeneo).
[citation needed] During the Grand Opera era, women typically worn voluminous dresses onstage.
Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, is unusual in that it features a female character who cross-dresses as part of the plot.
The woman disguises herself as a young man as part of a plan to rescue her husband from prison.