Antonio (The Merchant of Venice) person … lie[s] all unlocked to your occasions" ("MoV" 1.1.146), seem to allude to a sexual dimension in Antonio's love for Bassanio. However, there is also evidence that the two shared a strictly fraternal, familial bond, as indicated by the line "Bassanio, your most noble kinsman …" ("MoV" 1.1.60) Other scholars maintain that all attempts to read Shakespeare's characters as gay or straight in terms of the modern understanding of the word are culturally and historically flawed. Alan Bray's book "Homosexuality in Renaissance England" argues that in the time period of "The Merchant of Venice's" composition, "homosexuality" did not refer
Ralph S. Mouse Ralph S. Mouse Ralph S. Mouse is a children's novel by Beverly Cleary. It features Ralph, a mouse with the ability to speak, but only with certain people, who tend to be loners. It was first published in 1982, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. The title character is also featured in the two earlier novels of Cleary's "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" series. A filmed version was broadcast in the ABC Weekend Special series in 1991. Ralph has befriended a young boy named Ryan, the son of the inn's new housekeeper. Ryan has given Ralph the full name of "Ralph