Sexuality of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare wed Anne Hathaway at the age of 18. The consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester issued a marriage license on the 27th of November 1582. Two neighbors posted bonds the next day to ensure no legal impediments blocked the union. The couple arranged the ceremony in haste, as the Worcester chancellor allowed the marriage banns to be read only once instead of the usual three times. Six months after the wedding, Hathaway gave birth to their daughter Susanna. Twins named Hamnet and Judith followed almost two years later. Literary historian Stephen Greenblatt argues that Shakespeare likely loved Hathaway initially. He points to Sonnet 145, which may play off her name by stating she saved his life. Yet after just three years of marriage, Shakespeare left his family for London. Some historians suggest he felt trapped by the domestic arrangement. Evidence includes their separate but adjoining graves and the specific bequest in his will regarding the second best bed with furniture. Many scholars argue this item was actually the marital bed itself. A missing inventory from Anne's brother suggests it might have been an heirloom returned to the Hathaway family. Law at the time entitled widows automatically to one-third of their husband's estate.
A lawyer named John Manningham recorded a diary entry in March 1602 describing a potential affair. He wrote about a performance of Richard III where Burbage played the title role. A citizen grew so fond of the actor that she invited him to visit her that night under the guise of Richard the Third. Shakespeare overheard the plan and arrived first to entertain her before Burbage could appear. He sent word back that William the Conqueror had beaten Richard the Third to the door. This anecdote remains one of the few surviving contemporary accounts suggesting Shakespeare engaged with women outside his marriage. Scholars remain skeptical of its validity yet acknowledge it reflects how contemporaries viewed his behavior. Another less certain reference appears in Henry Willobie's poem Willobie His Avisa. The text mentions W.S. discussing love affairs with H.W. after recovering from a similar passion. Several scholars conclude Willobie describes a conversation with Shakespeare about winning over women. Twenty-six of Shakespeare's Sonnets are love poems addressed to a married woman known as the Dark Lady. These works suggest he may have pursued relationships with multiple partners while living in London.
Shakespeare's sonnets were published without his approval in 1609. One hundred twenty-six poems appear to be love letters addressed to a young man called the Fair Lord or Fair Youth. This figure is often assumed to be Mr W.H., though their true identity remains unclear. Popular candidates include Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, and William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. Both men were considered handsome during their youth. Explicit references to sexual acts occur within these texts alongside descriptions of physical lust. Sonnet 20 calls the younger man the master-mistress of my passion. The narrator theorizes Nature originally made him a woman before adding a penis for women's pleasure. Some lines deny sexual interest while others maintain a homoerotic tone throughout. In Sonnet 52, erotic punning becomes particularly intense regarding pride and imprisonment. Other scholars argue these passages reflect intense platonic friendship rather than sexual love. Douglas Bush wrote that modern readers might leap at notions of homosexuality when such ardor existed in real life from Montaigne to Sir Thomas Browne. Richard Dutton notes A.L. Rowse never accepted Shakespeare was homosexual to any extent. He believed the Bard's interest in the youth was not at all sexual.
John Benson published a second edition of the sonnets in 1640. He changed most pronouns from masculine to feminine so readers would believe nearly all poems addressed the Dark Lady. This modified version became the best-known text until Edmond Malone re-published them in original form in 1780. George Steevens openly articulated questions about the author's orientation after reading descriptions of a young man as his master-mistress. He remarked it was impossible to read such fulsome panegyric without disgust or indignation. Samuel Taylor Coleridge commented around 1800 that Shakespeare's love was pure with no allusion to vice. Robert Browning famously replied to Wordsworth's assertion that the Sonnets unlocked Shakespeare's heart by saying if true, then Shakespeare was less himself. Oscar Wilde explored this issue in his 1889 short story The Portrait of Mr. W.H. identifying Will Hughes as both Mr W.H. and the Fair Youth. By 1944, the Variorum edition contained an appendix with conflicting views from nearly forty commentators. G.P.V. Akrigg published the first extended study of the Earl of Southampton shortly after Britain decriminalized homosexual acts between consenting males over twenty-one. He suspected some element of homosexuality lay at the root of the trouble.
Literary theorist Stephen Greenblatt assumes something occurred between Shakespeare and Southampton whether they stared longingly or embraced passionately. Stanley Wells addressed the topic in Looking for Sex in Shakespeare published in 2004. He argued balance had yet to be drawn between deniers of homoerotic expression and liberal commentators who swung too far. Same-sex friendships in the Renaissance often featured shows of affection like bed sharing and confessions of love. Contemporary readers associate these behaviors with modern-day sexual relationships. A scholarly dispute appeared in the letters pages of The Times Literary Supplement in 2014 regarding whether Shakespeare was gay. In 2025 a privately owned miniature portrait by Nicholas Hilliard surfaced. It depicts Henry Wriothesley on a playing card where the red heart has been painted over with a black arrow. Art historian Elizabeth Goldring speculates Shakespeare could have received this miniature before returning it to the Earl after his marriage in 1598. Her theory suggests his personal mark obliterated the heart symbolizing their relationship.
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Common questions
When did William Shakespeare marry Anne Hathaway?
William Shakespeare wed Anne Hathaway on the 27th of November 1582. The consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester issued a marriage license that day, and neighbors posted bonds to ensure no legal impediments blocked the union.
What evidence suggests William Shakespeare had affairs outside his marriage?
A diary entry by John Manningham from March 1602 describes an anecdote where William Shakespeare entertained a woman who invited him under the guise of Richard the Third. Additionally, twenty-six sonnets are love poems addressed to a married woman known as the Dark Lady, suggesting he pursued relationships with multiple partners while living in London.
Who is the Fair Lord or Fair Youth mentioned in William Shakespeare's sonnets?
One hundred twenty-six poems appear to be love letters addressed to a young man called the Fair Lord or Fair Youth, though their true identity remains unclear. Popular candidates include Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, and William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, both considered handsome during their youth.
Did William Shakespeare have a relationship with Henry Wriothesley?
Literary theorist Stephen Greenblatt assumes something occurred between William Shakespeare and Henry Wriothesley whether they stared longingly or embraced passionately. Art historian Elizabeth Goldring speculates Shakespeare could have received a miniature portrait depicting Henry Wriothesley before returning it after his marriage in 1598.
How did later editors change the interpretation of William Shakespeare's sonnets?
John Benson published a second edition of the sonnets in 1640 where he changed most pronouns from masculine to feminine so readers would believe nearly all poems addressed the Dark Lady. This modified version became the best-known text until Edmond Malone re-published them in original form in 1780.