Were antonio and bassanio gay

His attraction to Portia is not being dismissed just because he is not heterosexual.

Bassanio’s Sexuality

Instead, modern audiences can discuss the idea of bisexuality or a fluid sexuality. First we can examine the love triangle of Bassanio, Portia and Antonio. The heterosexual were antonio and bassanio gay of Bassanio and Portia cannot be pursued or consummated without the aid of Antonio.

Josephy Pequigney analyzes this relationship between the three characters. The love Portia and Antonio both have for Bassanio bonds them Pequigney The heterosexual relationship will never stand alone. Next, we can study the relationship between Bassanio and Antonio.

Bassanio does not exactly reciprocate, but he does accept the sacrifice. This can be noted for the fact that he has 1. Joan Howard discusses the anxiety theater induced in Renaissance through Elizabethan society in terms of gender and sexuality in relation to cross dressing. Dressing as the other gender is forbidden by the Bible, but was a regular part of the theater.

Actors were men, but would have cross dress in order play women. In the Merchant of Venice the line between gender and sex is blurred even more as actors were not only cross dressing as women, but female characters would then be cross dressing as men. For Bassanio, though there was a definite case of mistaking, perhaps it was a clue towards sexual clarity.

I believe Bassanio falls into a category of people who did not have the chance to ever explore their sexuality. Because his ultimate romantic interest is a woman, it may be easiest to declare him heterosexual. It is certainly the most comfortable category to fall into in the sixteenth century.

Shakespeare, however, is not interested in comfort and has written a much more dynamic character. Howard, Jean E. Works Cited Howard, Jean E. Pequigney, Joseph.