#shakespeare is BI babey

[serialreblogger]

i need so much proof that shakespeare was bi as all hell please and thank you :) (its true duh, but um. i need to know more thank you) (๑•́ ヮ •̀๑)

THANK YOU FOR ASKING! May I submit the following evidence to the jury:

Sonnet 20 in its entirity. It’s one long love confession specifically addressed to a male beloved, grieving that they happened to be male. For those curious, the beloved is described as encompassing the highest virtues of man and woman together (in more modern terms, genderqueer/bigender/GNC/trans might apply. Of course, it’s doubly impossible to say anything of the sort for certain, given that a. those terms weren’t available to 17th-century Europeans and b. we have no way of knowing who Shakespeare was talking about, let alone if they were non-cis).

This entire poem is Shakespeare addressing someone as “man? technically. woman? probably also yes. do i care either way? no. are you the love of my life? absolutely.” Shakespeare essentially just goes:

[ID: a gif of Jonathan Van Ness saying “Gorgeous.” end ID]

and calls it a day.

Sonnet 63 uses he/him pronouns throughout. See especially: “[Time] shall never cut from memory / My sweet love's beauty, though my lover’s life: / His beauty shall in these black lines (this poem) be seen . . . he in them [will remain] still green.” (In other words, Time will never erase the memory of Shakespeare’s “sweet love’s beauty,” though it will take his life: his beauty shall be preserved in this poem forever, and so, in that sense, he will remain forever young and lovely.)

[ID: the “is this a pigeon?” meme, edited to show “shakespeare” gesturing at “a poem” to ask if it is “the key to immortality.” end ID]

He does the same in Sonnet 19, begging Time: “Him [my love] in thy course untainted do allow / For beauty's pattern to succeeding men” (“Leave him untouched, spare him / so that he can remain the model of absolute beauty for every man forevermore”) and declaring that though Time will do what it always does, still Shakespeare’s love will have his beauty preserved forever in this poem.

Sonnet 68 is similar, except instead of grieving the inevitable loss of youth, Shakespeare praises his beloved for aging gracefully: “In him those holy antique hours are seen, / Without all ornament, itself and true . . . Robbing no old to dress his beauty new.” He’s praising his beloved for proudly showing the wrinkles in his cheek and fading hair, instead of using the hair of the dead for wigs (as many did at the time), or trying to feign a youth he no longer has.

[ID: Shakespeare’s new and improved attitude to age. A grey-haired woman in brightly coloured clothes leans against a graffitied wall. The caption reads, “OLD is the new YOUNG.” end ID]

For the record, I maintain that Sonnet 42 is big polyam vibes, but that’s more debatable and would require a whole separate essay to argue for. Still. Gotta include it in the list.

also, as I said in a previous post:

all the genderbending in Shakespeare’s plays is, in my view, about 40% unapologetic projection and wish-fulfillment with a slapdash retcon at the end so he didn’t get executed, 20% quiet seething rage, and 40% him playing with the sort of humour that’d get him upvotes in early modern England. 

[ID: John Mulaney saying “I’m very gay. I’d like a few dollars.” Wouldn’t we all. end ID]

Of course, Shakespeare’s queer content isn’t explicit outside the sonnets, which had less wide of an audience. If you were too obvious, or ticked off the wrong person, or if some lunatic decided to use your words to promote their destabilizing social violence, you WOULD get executed. That wasn’t a hypothetical. Some people were more open than Shakespeare. They paid the price. Look at what happened to Marlowe and Kyd.

It was dangerous to be queer in early modern England, especially if you didn’t have the same protections that the aristocracy enjoyed. And Shakespeare wasn’t an aristocrat. In my mind, it is the opposite of odd that he would play off his queer content with humor and “happy endings.”

Shakespeare was living in a highly charged, highly controlling political climate, where anything subversive could spark another civil war. Censorship was high, and stakes were higher. Just because a lot of Shakespeare’s queer content (particularly in his plays) is left vague and only included when it could be treated comedically doesn’t mean it wasn’t also genuine.

[nowhereisnearmyhome]

DR WHO SAID GAY RIGHTS

[waitineedaname]

For the ask game: Jon, Martin, Mordred, and/or Jonny D'ville?? (sorry thats a lot of characters GHDSKJFHDS)

dfjlskj that is a lot but I’ll do all of them!! under the cut bc it’ll be long

Jon

Sexuality Headcanon: CANON BI/PANROMANTIC ASEXUAL BABEY!!!! I also like demiromantic Jon because I can’t stop rubbing my grubby little aro hands all over everything

Gender Headcanon: nonbinary!! He doesn’t think about gender much but when he does, it’s just a series of question marks. I may be projecting my own gender issues onto him, but I feel like he probably goes about his day not really thinking about his gender and he presents in whatever way makes him comfortable, but the moment he is Perceived The Wrong Way he’s like ah. I would like to be consumed by the earth now.

A ship I have with said character: you already KNOW. Jonmartin Good. I love them so much. they deserve good things. I’m also fond of Jon/Georgie in a pre-canon context because I think they’re sweet but what I love even more is “couple who broke up but are still friends”

A BROTP I have with said character: SEASON ONE ARCHIVAL ASSISTANTS. I miss them so bad. Also Georgie and Daisy, and tbh I wish he’d gotten more of a chance to actually befriend Melanie because their bickering was amusing. I Just Want Him To Have Friends

A NOTP I have with said character: any of the gross ones, like Jon/Elias or Jon/Peter. pls don’t ship him with his awful old bosses.

A random headcanon: this bad boy can fit so much neurodivergency in him! I tend to go with autistic Jon bc I just Like It.

General Opinion over said character: he’s doing his BEST and I LOVE HIM. I will Not shut up about the character arcs in this show and his is FASCINATING as he becomes more of a monster while also becoming kinder to the people around him and ahh it’s so interesting

Martin

Sexuality Headcanon: gay! I could also be persuaded of gray-aro Martin if you catch me in a “everyone is arospec” mood

Gender Headcanon: trans man!! I love how popular this headcanon is holy shit

A ship I have with said character: jonmartin!!!!! ah!!!! pining FOOLS

A BROTP I have with said character: ALSO the s1 archival staff!! I just want the four of them to get into minor shenanigans and have board game nights and gossip!! is that too much to ask!!

A NOTP I have with said character: again, pls no awful old men. Martin/Elias and Martin/Peter are a big No Thanks from me

A random headcanon: in an “apocalypse didn’t happen” scenario, he goes back to school to complete his education and actually pursues his interests as opposed to just trying to get by. I think he goes into English, and he and Jon make up the same bickering English major duo that my roommate and I do, where one is really into the Old As Fuck Literature and Shakespeare (me and Jon), while the other is into the Romantics and modern literature and poetry (my roommate and Martin)

General Opinion over said character: I CARE HIM..... when people were first trying to get me into tma, everyone told me “you’ll love Martin, he’s exactly your type of character” and you know what? THEY WERE RIGHT. “sweetheart with good intentions but also a lot of anxiety that can be kind of bitchy but everyone kind of brushes it off” is somehow a character trope my faves keep falling into

Mordred

Sexuality Headcanon: hmm I haven’t really thought of one for Mordred!! I’m gonna say aroace because I can do what I want

Gender Headcanon: CANON TRANS MAN BABEY!!!

A ship I have with said character: considering the only other characters in the album are his dad, his dad’s wife, his dad’s husband, a dude who in Arthurian canon was both his cousin and half-brother (gross), and a crazed preacher, I’m going to say this doesn’t apply sdlkfjlksdjf

A BROTP I have with said character: I think he should hang out with Guinevere and Lancelot!! I don’t know if either of them are his birth parents but they’re still sort of his parents and I think they should get along

A NOTP I have with said character: see above sldjfklsdjf

A random headcanon: I think he probably tried a million different ways to subtly convince Arthur he was his son, and just about everyone figured it out except Arthur. this would be even funnier if he Looked A Lot Like Arthur and he still didn’t figure it out

General Opinion over said character: I can’t BELIEVE High Noon Over Camelot took this absolute Bastard, awful awful incest child whose primary goal is to Cause Problems On Purpose, and then made a version of him that I love dearly and made me cry. @ the Mechanisms, how do you do it. He just wanted peace and I respect him

Jonny D’Ville

Sexuality Headcanon: I have now decided on a whim that Jonny D’Ville is aroace. or maybe pan ace. I don’t know irl Jonny’s sexuality, but I’ve decided his characters are not allowed to fuck.

Gender Headcanon: bastard idk I haven’t really thought about it much! probably cis, though tbh I feel like if you’re immortal and chaotic, gender ceases to hold much meaning

A ship I have with said character: not to be a homestuck, but I think pitch Jonny and Tim would be hilarious. can you imagine a kismesissitude where you can kill each other with no repercussions. good lord.

A BROTP I have with said character: allll of the Mechs? I specifically enjoy him and Nastya being Kind Of Like Siblings, and I like his dynamic with Ashes and Tim bc I feel like the three of them are the ones who are best equipped to deal with his bullshit

A NOTP I have with said character: I don’t think I have one? Nastya I guess, considering she’s a lesbian and I like thinking of her being an adopted sister to him

A random headcanon: Jonny D’Ville would HATE Jon D’Archivist. all Jon’s anxiety about morals would be exhausting to him and Jonny would just shoot him as a scientific experiment to see How Immortal Is The Archivist

General Opinion over said character: bastard. awful little man. I love him so much, he’s so entertaining

[stellar-voyager]

Tag 21

Rules: Answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people who you want to get to know better.

I was tagged by @phantom-solitaire thank you :D

Nickname: paybae or payto 

Zodiac: Capricorn

Height: 5′5″

Last movie I saw: On the Basis of Sex 

Favorite musicians: Nightwish, Evanescence (fight me), Saint Motel, uh I have a lot of favorite songs but by a bunch of different people

Last thing I googled: “Patrick stewart star trek” 

Song stuck in my head: I’m listening to music now! Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan is on

Other blogs: I have some Shakespeare sideblogs if any of you are into that haha

Following: 576

Do I get asks: Sometimes???

What I’m Wearing: a zodiac t-shirt and a red sweater

Lucky number: 6 or 4

Amount of sleep: 6-11 hours plus sometimes a nap

Favorite food: ice cream!! 

Dream trip: world tour babey! idk my mind has been on the Mediterranean a lot lately

Dream job: library/archive/museum work <3 maybe with a focus on women/lgbt+

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: bookshelves, falling snow, knitted sweaters, a clear night, a stained glass window, daisies, bi colors haha

Random fact: the wind chill for where I live is going to be -56 tomorrow :^) 

Languages: English, some French and Latin, minimal Spanish, German, Japanese and Russian

I tag: @sodium-chloridey, @hamlink, @dargonhitlee, @cheeezedragon, @apt-1-ini, @super-scary-bitch, @the-arts-my-love, @mylifeisirony, @smolgalaxychild, @allihearisradiogaga, @xenawarriorprincesss, @ltlmissmayhem, @brittany-the-bookworm, @meadowbro, @petalsofivory, @bizarrequazar, @odessenn, @gaytelvanni, @werewolvestookmywhatever, @actualfoxes, @savethecanteloupe

[altaroftransexuality]

tysm @neladoesart for tagging me :)

nickname: neeks, cthulhu, cayenne, lils, buzzbee

zodiac: leo sun aries moon babey!

height: 5’2

hogwarts house: slytherin 🐍

last thing i googled: fuck school memes

favorite musician(s): lorde, lana del ray, troye sivan, hozier, florence + the machine, the killers, queen, nirvana, the goo goo dolls, conan gray, and idk a lot more. i listen to a lot of types of music

song stuck in my head: the king by conan gray

following: 1728 😬

followers: 273

do you get asks: rarely. but i would love some more if anyone wants to send them. just search the tag “send me asks” for those those asks prompt lists (don’t try to look through the tags just search it. my tagging system is fucked up and idk how to fix it)

amount of sleep: on weekdays 6 hrs or less,,, on weekends 12+ hrs

what are you wearing: a red long sleeve under a pink floyd shirt, blue jeans, a purple cardigan thing i got from a thrift store, cat socks, brown boots

dream job: ideally hella gay pirate but i’d also take very gay mythology professor who gets to go on archeological digs or mad scientist (also very gay)

dream trip: japan or greece or brazil

instruments: i played the recorder in elementary school

language(s): english

10 favorite songs rn: time to pretend by mgmt, bohemian rhapsody and killer queen by queen, gods and monsters by lana del ray, glory and gore & yellow flicker beat by lorde, jackboot jump by hozier, bubble gum bitch by marina + the diamonds, girl with one eye by florence + the machine, lemon boy by cavetown

if you were an animal: uhhh what animal reflects my soul? according to pottermore my patronus would be a vulture so there’s that. tbh tho i feel like i’m more of a black cat. if it’s what animal is like to be... snake or cat

favorite food(s): i like soup of all kinds and idk if it’s a noodle dish odds are ill prolly love it. rice is also very good (all kinds). i don’t think i really have a favorite food cuz it depends on my mood. rn i could really go for some fried rice tho

random fact: my best friend passed the constitution test by cheating off of me. we both got the same one question wrong. tbh idk how my teacher didn’t notice

my aesthetic: falling apart converse, ink stained hands, random injuries, tangled headphones, shakespeare with notes written in the margins, never brushed hair, mismatched socks, dancing in the rain, notebooks full of half written poetry, warm cardigans, jackets that say “eat the rich”, thrifted clothes, messy handwriting, hazy afternoons

i tag: @persepinetree @victorianbf @vicdehart @stressedoutmv @legend-of-arson @i-think-im-bi-help @fangirlofnico @feralsnail @nothing-but-gays-here and idk anyone else who sees this and wants to do it

21 Questions Tag!

21 Questions Tag!

tagged by @taylorsgunnaslay and @camomille-tay (thank you guys! I’ve never been tagged in a question tag before omg) im taking this Very Seriously

rules: answer 21 questions and tag 21 people

nickname: Nandi

zodiac: virgo

height: 174cm

hogwarts house: gryffindor and ravenclaw

last thing i googled: cherimoya ( it’s a fruit apperantly )

favourite musicians: taylor swift and the 1975

song stuck in my head: ophelia by the lumineers

following: 205

followers: 77

do you get asks: no never ( at least, I think. my inbox doesn’t work and tumblr wont do anything about it )

amount of sleep: let’s not put a number on that. i have a hard time falling asleep (and waking)

what are you wearing: a grey top that’s too small so it looks cropped and high waisted baggy green pants.

dream job: i honestly have no clue, i don’t really want a job. i’m studying to be a sociologist though, so i guess that’s my dream job.

dream trip: go to nepal. everyone in my family has roots / memories there.

instruments: i used to play acoustic guitar. i’m terrible.

languages: dutch, english and enough french to get by.

10 favourite songs as of now: beautiful ghosts-taylor, graveyard-halsey, the archer-taylor, lover-taylor, breathe (2am)-anna nalick, mr. brightside-the killers, she lays down-the 1975, i really wish i hated you-blink182, sometime around midnight-the airborne toxic event, nashville-david mead/taylor

if you were an animal: I’d definitely be a cat 

favourite food: cheese 

random fact: i just saw frozen 2 and i loved it

my aesthetic: rainy nights, a tiny room stuffed with plants, lipstick, a glass of wine, books, the lamp is broken, candles. ( i have no idea what I’m doing )

i tag @acrazyobsession @jakeperalta @miserableandmagikal @cvrneliastreet @ericaheartstay @tayloralisonswiftlover @amadeupname @crabbybun @neladoesart @swiftsmiles @jasi-swiftie-13 @swiftxgrande13 @femmetay . @lightstheyneverblindme @david-the-starman-mccartney @tayloralisonswiftlover @rosalieswiftie @lynn-lucky13