Sexuality of the Bard under the spotlight

Buy photos » There has long been controversy about the Bard's sexuality (s)

SHAKESPEARE'S sexuality has been the source of increasing speculation after actor Sir Ian McKellen claimed there was 'no doubt' the Bard was gay.

Gay actor Sir Ian, who has trod the boards in Stratford in celebrated RSC productions including King Lear and Othello, made the claim this week.

And following Sir Ian's comments, top Shakespeare scholar, Professor Stanley Wells, added to the debate when he was quoted as saying it is possible he was bisexual.

The sexuality of Shakespeare has long been the source of speculation due to the relationships between some of the key characters in his plays.

Sir Ian insisted the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice had a gay subtext - emphasised in Rupert Goold's production at the RST last year.

He said: "No doubt Shakespeare was gay. His predilection was evident from his works. Married, with children, he left his wife in Stratford to live in London. I’d say he slept with men.

"The Merchant of Venice centres on how the world treats gays as well as Jews, and has a love triangle between an older man, younger man and a woman.

"The complexity in his comedies with cross-dressing and disguises is immense. Shakespeare obviously enjoyed sex with men as well as women."

And Professor Stanley Wells said this week that Sir Ian was certainly not the first to question the Bard's sexuality.

Prof Wells said: "It goes back centuries, especially because some of Shakespeare’s sonnets are unquestionably addressed to a male.

"Shakespeare had three children so clearly was not wholly gay. But he may have loved men as well as women.

"As the T-shirt that Sir Ian sometimes wears says, ‘Some people are gay. Get over it’!"

Rumours about Shakespeare’s alleged homosexuality have existed for centuries and many cite his sonnets as evidence because they were addressed to both a young man and a woman - though there are no explicit references to desire for a man.