Robin is a student on the Shakespeare Studies MA, a unique course from Shakespeare’s Globe and King’s College University of London.
This is from a series of blogs written by the students, exploring the early modern world.
Matthew Tennyson (Puck) and John Light (Oberon) in A Midsummer Night’s Dream © Alastair Muir 2013
Many male friendships in Shakespeare’s plays blur the line between platonic and homosexual affection– including the friendship of Antonio and Sebastian in Twelfth Night and, as explored by Shakespeare’s Globe in the 2013 season, Puck and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is partly because the difference between friendship and romance can be difficult to define, especially if trying to judge by the standards of Shakespeare’s time. Homosexuality as we now know it existed in a different form as the divide between platonic and romantic affection between men was a lot less clear. However, many modern productions of Shakespeare’s plays use this uncertainty to explore the idea of love between men far more openly, resulting in performances displaying homosexual, as well as platonic, male relationships.
'If you will not murder me for my love, let me be
your servant.' Twelfth Night Act 2.1
These words, spoken by Antonio to Sebastian in Twelfth Night, demonstrate the incredible intensity of some of Shakespeare’s friendships. Antonio freely dedicates himself to Sebastian, putting his life on the line as a display of devotion and obscuring the boundary between friendship and romantic love. The position of dedicated servant is echoed throughout other plays, including The Comedy of Errors and Midsummer Night’s Dream, linking two men together in codependency as they attempt to navigate the tricky world of heterosexual romance – often building an intimate relationship between each other at the same time. The position of servant is not solely limited to waiting on a man but is a position of companionship and even friendship in Shakespeare’s plays, allowing the development of intimacy.
Roger Allam (Prospero) and Colin Morgan (Ariel) in The Tempest
© Tristram Kenton 2013
'My Ariel, chick,' The Tempest 5.1
Why do these male friendships become so intense? An important factor is the location of the plays, often set on islands or in forests that give way to a carnival atmosphere and allow characters to enjoy life outside society’s rules (including heterosexuality). In these places, expectations are turned upside down and characters can enjoy indulging their desires before returning to societal norms by the end of the play – a conclusion often marked by marriage. The spaces of the forest and the island allow male characters to foster their relationships with other men, and prioritise them over relationships with women away from the pressure of their families and society at large.
'My gentle Puck,' AMidsummer Night’s Dream 2.1
The relationships between men in Shakespeare’s plays demonstrate how difficult it is to clearly define platonic love and homosexual love as separate in Early Modern drama. Many friendships have homosexual undertones by today’s standards but would have been considered within the bounds of regular friendship in Shakespeare’s day. This is something which is being explored during the current winter and spring season at Globe Education :‘Shakespeare and Friendship’ which sheds light on the concept of friendship in Shakespearean England – from kinship to romance and everything in between.
by Robin Craig
Further Reading
Alan Bray, ‘Homosexuality and the Signs of Male Friendship in Elizabethan England’ in History Workshop 29, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), pp. 1-19.
John D. Cox, ‘Shakespeare and the Ethics of Friendship’ in Religion & Literature 40 (Indiana, USA: The University of Notre Dame Press, 2008), pp. 1-29.
Madhavi Menon, Shakesqueer: A Queer Companion to the Complete Works of Shakespeare (USA: Duke University Press, 2011).
More details on the Shakespeare and Friendship season can be found here.
More details on the Shakespeare Studies MA can be found here.