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
Billy S. Billy S. "Billy S." is a song recorded by Canadian musician Skye Sweetnam. It was released as her debut major label single in 2003, and was the first single from her album, "Noise From the Basement". The song was also featured on the soundtrack to the movie "How to Deal". The song's title, "Billy S." stands for "Billy Shakespeare", a reference to William Shakespeare, whom Skye refers to throughout the song. Sweetnam thought that the title "Billy Shakespeare" was too long, and decided to shorten it. The music video for "Billy S.", filmed in Southern California, features Skye Sweetnam recording