Was Shakespeare Gay

It is almost impossible to determine whether Shakespeare was gay because only scant documentary evidence has survived about his personal life. Yet, the question is constantly asked: was Shakespeare homosexual? Before we can answer this question, we first need to establish the context of his romantic relationships. Was Shakespeare Gay or Straight? One fact is certain: Shakespeare was in a heterosexual marriage. At the age of 18, William married Anne Hathaway in a shotgun ceremony probably because their child was conceived out of wedlock. Anne, who was eight years older than William, remained in Stratford-upon-Avon with their children while William left for London to pursue a career in the theater. Whilst in London, anecdotal evidence suggests that Shakespeare had multiple affairs. The most famous example comes from the diary of John Manningham who recounts the romantic rivalry between Shakespeare and Burbage, the leading man of the acting troupe: Upon a time when Burbage played Richard the Third there was a citizen grew so far in liking with him, that before she went from the play she appointed him to come that night unto her by the name of Richard the Third. Shakespeare, overhearing their conclusion, went before, was entertained and at his game ere Burbage came. Then, message being brought that Richard the Third was at the door, Shakespeare caused return to be made that William the Conqueror was before Richard the Third. In this anecdote, Shakespeare and Burbage fight over a promiscuous woman – William does, of course, win! Promiscuous women turn up elsewhere including the Dark Lady Sonnets in which the poet addresses a woman he desires, but should not love. Although anecdotal, there is a body of evidence to suggest that Shakespeare was unfaithful in his marriage, so to determine if Shakespeare was homosexual, we have to look beyond his marriage. Homoeroticism in Shakespeare’s Sonnets The Fair Youth Sonnets are addressed to a young man who, like the Dark Lady, is unobtainable. The language in the poetry is intense and charged with homoeroticism. In particular, Sonnet 20 contains sensual language that seems to transcend even the highly affectionate relationships that were common between men in Shakespeare’s time. At the start of the poem, the Fair Youth is described as the â€Å"master-mistress of my passion†, but Shakespeare finishes the poem with: And for a woman wert thou first created;Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,And by addition me of thee defeated,By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.But since she prickd thee out for womens pleasure,Mine be thy love and thy loves use their treasure. Some claim that this ending reads like a disclaimer to clear Shakespeare of the serious charge of homosexuality – as it would have been perceived in his time. Art Vs. Life The sexuality argument rests on why Shakespeare wrote the sonnets. If Shakespeare was homosexual (or perhaps bisexual), then the sonnets need to overlap with Bard’s personal life to establish a link between the content of the poems and his sexuality. But there is no evidence that the poet speaking in the texts is supposed to be Shakespeare himself and we do not know who they were written for and why. Without this context, critics can only muster conjecture about Shakespeare’s sexuality. However, there are a few significant facts that lend weight to the argument: The Sonnets were not intended to be published and it is, therefore, more likely that the texts reveal the personal feelings of the Bard.The Sonnets were dedicated to â€Å"Mr. WH†, widely believed to be Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton or William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. Perhaps these are the handsome men the poet lusts after? The reality is that it is impossible to unpick Shakespeare’s sexuality from his writing. All but a few sexuality references are heterosexual in tone, yet vast theories have been built around the exceptions. And at best, these are rather codified and ambiguous references to homosexuality. Shakespeare may well have been homo- or heterosexual, but there simply is not the evidence to say either way.

Essay on How I Changed in High School - 785 Words

Everyone has heard or been told, â€Å"high school is what you make of it.† High school is in fact what you make of it, but it is also the time of great change in everybody. Entering grade nine you still feel like a kid, your post-secondary and career choices are far from top priority. However, by grade twelve we become more mature and grow into young adults. Personally looking back to my grade nine self and comparing her to my grade twelve self of today, I am able to see changes in my character, my athletics and my goals. There are many aspects within my personal character in which have changed since entering grade nine. One of these aspects is my time management skills. When I first started out in grade nine, I used to rush home and rush†¦show more content†¦Over four years, I have made, as well as, lost friends. We all need to grow and mature and sometimes others just do not want to follow that path with you and you end up growing apart. Further changes can be seen in my athletics. Although this may seem a mute point to mention, my sports are part of my life and today are part of my career choice. Therefore, my sports have obviously impacted me. In grade nine, I was curling seven days a week on multiple teams and different leagues. I joined the school team and ended the season winning Female MVP. In grade nine I was aiming towards going to Provincials for curling while in grade twelve I now aim towards placing higher than bronze in the 2010 Summer Games for archery. I do not have much time for school sports with my archery outside of school taking off and I rarely get time to go shoot some rocks. Archery is my main focus in sports right now. Along with my goals in sports changing, my goals in post-secondary matters as well as career choices have changed. Today I am looking at applying to either Canadore College or Brock University, where four years ago all I knew was that I wanted to attend college and move out. Now I realize staying home wou ld save me a lot of money. As well, I am more open to looking at both university and college courses, like Brock, as their program I wish to take is said to be excellent. In grade nine I was jobless and did not trulyShow MoreRelatedHow I Changed My High School Environment1209 Words   |  5 PagesI was not very excited to take the UNV 100 class when I had to register for classes last Fall semester, and I thought it is a waste of credits. However, since the first day of class and overtime I changed my mind completely. I changed my mind due to several reasons I will be discussing in this paper. The main reason is that I found the environment of this class very similar to my high school environment, which was a STEM high school. 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Living in these two different environments has affected my territoriality in many different ways. For me personally, college has changed my view on personal space, living space, personal property, privacy, hygiene and how to talkRead MoreSocial Relationships in Childhood1360 Words   |  6 Pageswere your friendships like while growing? Did this change from elementary school to middle and then to high school? If so, how? I am in high school now (9th grade) and a lot has changed over the years. I had friends that I was forced to hang out with and some that just grew with me and now we are in same school or classes. 2. Tell about a time when your friends’ opinions were different than your parents’ and how you felt about it. There have been a lot of times where my friends made funRead MoreDesigning A Multimodal Composition About My Writing Essay1471 Words   |  6 Pageswriting process. 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In the afternoon, I rode on the bike around these streets, and my city changed a lots. The coffee shopRead MoreEducation Is Suffering From Narration Sickness1638 Words   |  7 Pages changed and this particular journal also helped emphasis this change. I’ve learned through my own personal experiences that some students don’t learn the same way. Many of the teachers that I have had, have always presented the information through powerpoint or just lecturing, kind of like college, but not all students learn the best through this way. One of Freire s quotes from the article is, â€Å"Education is suffering from narration sickness.† This is an important quote to me from this articleRead MoreThe Transition Through Middle School And High School890 Words   |  4 Pagesresponsibilities. I realized how things change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does. The transition through middle school and high school has changed me thoroughly. I’ve learned that high school has made me smarter for who to trust and judge people more than I usually do. High school gave me more options, viewpoints, and ideas. I mature in almost every way , and learn more about myself for what I’m good at. There will be hard times but eventually get through them. It started when I was aRead MoreGraduation Speech : Senior Year767 Words   |  4 Pagesyear was amazing. I could go on and on with all kinds of new adventures, friends, and experiences I made, but let s just take you back to the start of things. It was a new year, a fresh start back to school. We were in our final year. At first I didn’t know how to feel, I just felt was happy to be back at school because that meant seeing all of my friends I hadn’t seen over the summer. The year started off good. I loved all my new classes, football season was coming up, and I met the most wonderfulRead MoreBecoming A Writer By Russell Baker Essay1024 Words   |  5 Pagespast that later changed his perception of writing. After reading his piece, I reviewed the response questions listed below the essay to further my understanding of the piece. Almost like looking through a list of prompts as Russell did. The idea of a change in perception had me reflecting on memories from my childhood. I thought of the times spent with my family together and it wasn’t long before I realized just how much my perception of a nuclear family and marriage had changed based on the revelation

Preservation of Innocence In The Catcher in the Rye Essay

Themes in literary works are central, recurring ideas or messages that allow us to understand more deeply about the characters. It is a perception about life or human nature that is often shared with the reader. In The Catcher in the Rye, there are several themes that can be found in the words and actions of the narrator, Holden Caulfield. The dominating theme in this novel is the preservation of innocence, especially of children. We can see this throughout the novel, as Holden strives to preserve innocence in himself and others. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from†¦show more content†¦Holden is talking about protecting the children so they will not experience the cruelty of the adult world. If he catches the children before they fall, he will preserve their innocence and keep them from the cruelties of the adult world. Holden’s only desire and goal in life is to be the catcher in the rye because is the only job that is appealing to him where he can shows his love and protection for childhood innocence, â€Å"That’s all I’d do all day. I‘d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be† (173). Holden does not want adolescents to become adults because he believes that adults are corrupt and he wants to protect them from this corruptness. This is seen when Holden tries to erase the swearing words on the walls of an elementary school that Phoebe attends. Holden angrily tells us, â€Å"†¦ I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebodyd written Fuck you on the wall... I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell it meant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (201). Holden was angered because this proves that the innocent world of children has already been corrupted by the profanities of the adult world. In addition, profanity in such places like an elementary school distresses him because he associates it with Phoebe, little kids, and innocence. Thus, their innocence is tainted by these profanity words on the walls. He does not feel comfortable allowing small children to beShow MoreRelatedThe Innocence of Childhood in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger1262 Words   |  6 PagesThe novel â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye† by J.D. Salinger fo llows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. 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Embellishing the differentiation between innocence andRead MoreHolden Caulfield s The Catcher Of The Rye1928 Words   |  8 PagesIn The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s story is seemingly aimless and without any sense of direction. However, Salinger brings the novel into focus in the final chapters by introducing the idea of being the â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† from the poem by Robert Burns. Salinger chose the name â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† for the title of his novel, but why? The answer is that Salinger wanted to emphasize the connection between Holden, the main character, and the cryptic â€Å"Catcher.† Holden confessesRead MoreAn Analysis Of Holden Caulfield s The Catcher s The Rye 1941 Words   |  8 Pagesdevelopment. The transition between childhood innoc ence and the brutality of adulthood is long and confusing, often resulting in a loss of self identity. Children tend to look towards the future with great anticipation; whereas many adults tend to constantly reminisce about their childhoods. As a child, the thought is that growing up cannot come soon enough; one cannot appreciate the blissful innocence of childhood until it has passed. The novel, The Catcher in the Rye, explores the complex and often incomprehensibleRead MoreCatcher In the Rye vs. Grapes of Wrath Essay1787 Words   |  8 Pagesshared disdain for such corruption is analyzed in The Catcher in the Rye and The Grapes of Wrath. Both authors address the corruption; however they do so from different perspectives they come to differing resolutions. Both protagonists in their novels experience isolation as a result of society’s corruption; however, Salinger’s chooses to isolate himself whereas Steinbeck’s experiences isolation inadvertently. J.D. Saling er’s The Catcher in the Rye and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath share a socialRead MoreCatcher in the Rye: the Quest for Love2431 Words   |  10 PagesCatcher In the Rye: The Quest For Love In many novels in J.D. Salingers library of books, there is a recurring theme of the loss of innocence of children, the falling and the confusions of childhood, and many other ideas that apply to the ideas of adolescence and the life of the average teenager growing up. Many of his themes occur in a short period of time in a childs life that affects him/her in a very profound and significannot way. The idea of love is also a major theme that arisesRead MoreCharacter Portrayal Of John Caulfield s The Big Day 1911 Words   |  8 PagesStill another feature of youth subculture of the time is a lack of aim and destination in terms of what youngsters do and believe. Deep in their hearts they wish to find and possess an alternative space that belongs to them. 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Rene Descartes was born into a well

Rene Descartes was born into a well-educated upper Essay class family on March 31,1956 in the French village of La Haye en Touraine. The village is now called Descartes, Indre-et-Loire in his honor. Renes father was Joachim Descartes, a lawyer at Britannys Court of Justice. His mother was Jeanne Brochard, daughter of the Lieutenant General of Poitiers. During school Rene spent seven or eight years at La Fleche learning logic, theology, philosophy, Latin and Greek. In his final two years, he also learned mathematics and physics. The physics was that of Aristotle- almost entirely wrong. On November,10 1619 Descartes was dozing in a warm, stove-heated room in the German town of Neuburg an der Donau. There he had a series of dreams that would ultimately change the way scientists work. He believed a spirit sent by God had had given him new ideas about the Scientific Method, Analytical Geometry, and Philosophy. 18 years later, in 1637 he published his ideas in Discussion of the Method, Geometry, Meteorology, and Optics. The first two of the these works contain his most significant contributions. In Discussion of the Method Descartes shared his framework for doing science. Descartes made the revolutionary discovery that he could solve problems in geometry by converting them into problems in algebra. In geometry, Descartes showed how he could find tangents to curves. This process is a vital part of differential calculus. Descartes is regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of all time. Here we are concerned with science rather than philosophy, so we will restrict ourselves to noting his most famous declaration I think therefore I am. In 1649 Descartes was invited to Stockholm by Queen Christina of Sweden. She wanted him to set up a new academy of science. Rene Descartes died, aged 53, of pneumonia in Stockholm on February, 11 1650. He was buried at the Adolf Fredriks Church in Stockholm. In death, as in life, Descartes was mobile. 16 years after his first burial his remains were moved and buried in the Saint-Etienne-du-Mont church in Paris,France. In 1819 his remains minus skull and finger were moved to the Abbey of Saint-German-des-Pres in Paris, where he now rests. In 1663, despite his efforts to avoid such a fate he regarded himself as a devout Catholic a number of Descartes works joined Galileos on the index of books prohibited by the catholic church. Over 300 years later, in 1966, this index was finally discontinued.