Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare with Will Tosh

Welcome to season SEVEN of our podcast!

Everybody knows Shakespeare. 

However, perhaps not as well known to most is that beneath the surface, much of Shakespeare’s work surrounds ideas of gender and queerness. 

Many of the plays are concerned with cross-dressing, gender fluidity, and same-sex friendships that many scholars have interpreted to be much more. 

Drawing inspiration from homoerotic writers and subject matter of the time, We can assume that Shakespeare knew his audience were sexually diverse. 

The question remains, was he or wasn’t he? The answer is more complicated than you think.

Today we welcome, Will Tosh, head of research at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. 

Will is a scholar of early modern literature and culture, a dramaturg for Renaissance classics and new plays and an historical adviser for television and radio.

He is here to talk about his latest book, STRAIGHT ACTING: THE MANY QUEER LIVES OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, released by Sceptre Publishing.

And let me introduce our new guest host, Neil Cameron.

A RADA trained actor, Neil is no stranger to Shakespeare.

His stage credits include Hamlet in Hamlet, and more recently featured in Macbeth at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

Find Will:

https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/dr-will-tosh/

Will & Will:

https://shop.shakespearesglobe.com/blogs/books-of-the-globe/straight-acting-the-many-queer-lives-of-william-shakespeare-by-will-tosh-book-review

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/review/straight-acting-will-tosh-review

https://literaryreview.co.uk/in-search-of-the-fair-youth

https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/15762/will-tosh-interview-straight-acting-the-many-queer-lives-of-william-shakespeare

Find Straight Acting:

https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/will-tosh/straight-acting/9781529390490/ (UK)

https://www.waterstones.com/book/straight-acting/will-tosh/9781529390476 (UK)

https://shop.shakespearesglobe.com/products/straight-acting (UK)

https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Acting-Hidden-William-Shakespeare/dp/1541602676 (USA)

https://www.hachette.com.au/will-tosh/straight-acting-the-many-queer-lives-of-william-shakespeare (AUS)

https://www.hachette.co.nz/book/?id=straight-acting-9781529390483 (NZ)

For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroquepodcast.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/

Find more Shakespeare on Natalie's walking tours with Reign of London:

https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011

https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452

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