Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare

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Description

Shakespeare's early work was profoundly influenced by the queer culture of the time - much of it totally integrated into mainstream society - from a relentless schooling in Latin to a less formal education on the streets of London, and beyond. Taking a closer look at the gender-bending homoeroticism of the early comedies and astonishingly queer literary scene that nurtured Shakespeare's sonnets, Will Tosh tells a story of artistic development and of personal crisis, of Shakespeare as a young man and as we have never before seen him.

Straight Acting is a fresh, surprising portrait of Shakespeare's England, revealing its deeply queer nature, a heritage that we have forgotten but that powerfully and fundamentally shaped the life and career of the world's most famous playwright.

Author Bio

Will Tosh is Head of Research at Shakespeare's Globe, London. He is the author of two academic books, and he appears regularly on TV, radio and online to discuss Shakespeare, the theatre an early modern culture.