Shakespeare or Shakesqueer?

Well, it’s more likely than you think. Despite his marriage to Anne Hathaway, we can’t assume William Shakespeare was exclusively heterosexual. Especially as he wrote over two thirds of his romantic sonnets, including the iconic Sonnet 18, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’, to a guy.

Head of Research, Dr Will Tosh, uncovers the truth behind Shakespeare’s sexuality in this episode of our YouTube series, That is the Question.

Further reading:

Dr Will Tosh, Was Shakespeare gay? (2022)

Madhavi Menon (ed.), Shakesqueer: A Queer Companion to the Complete Works of Shakespeare (2011)

Marie H. Loughlin (ed.), Same-Sex Desire in Early Modern England, 1550-1735 (2014)

Goran Stanivukovic, Arden Shakespeare, Queer Shakespeare: Desire and Sexuality (2017)