Shakespeare's Sex Life

The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But what does the work reveal about the sexuality of Shakespeare himself?


Despite being married with three kids to Anne Hathaway in the sleepy suburbs of Stratford-upon-Avon, there’s much to suggest he lived a more extravagant life during his visits to London.


Joining Kate today is author of The Life of the Author: William Shakespeare, Anna Beer, to unpick the hints and clues to the playwright’s sexuality that lay within his work.


Produced by Stuart Beckwith & Sophie Gee. Senior Producer Charlotte Long. Mixed by Tom Delargy.


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.


Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(404)

Alexander the Great's Sex Life

Alexander the Great's Sex Life

Did Alexander the Great and the Queen of the Amazons really have sex for 13 days solid? What do we know about his male lovers? And how did his sex life stand up to that of his dad’s?Kate is joined by ...

16 Des 202245min

Trash

Trash

From reality television to theatre productions to foreign goods, the word trash has a long history of being used to deride things that are thought to have no value.To find out what this history is, an...

13 Des 202237min

Banned History

Banned History

How much did Britain and its allies know about the Holocaust? Could the Bengal Famine of 1943 have been helped? And was Elizabeth I really the Virgin Queen? Lynsey Calver is a history teacher, and in...

6 Des 202234min

Sex Myths

Sex Myths

Why were the ovaries once seen as inverted testes? What words might you use if you were trying to describe a condition 'down there' to your doctor? And why did people once believe that you couldn't co...

2 Des 202248min

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

*This episode contains very strong language and adult content*A semi autobiographical account from a conflicted man? An ode to a wife’s sexual desire? A criminally obscene novel?Lady Chatterley’s Love...

29 Nov 202245min

The History of the Clitoris

The History of the Clitoris

It’s so important that it’s been ‘discovered’ at least twice, but what is the clitoris and why has it previously been so hard to find?The clitoris is the human female’s most erogenous zone, and is res...

25 Nov 202243min

Mussolini's Favourite Daughter

Mussolini's Favourite Daughter

What do we know about the people who shared the surname Mussolini with the Italian fascist dictator?Edda Mussolini may have been Benito’s daughter, but she was also the wife of a convicted traitor, an...

22 Nov 202240min

Tattoos

Tattoos

George V, Otzi the Iceman, possibly Winston Churchill and … Kate Lister. What do all these people have in common?They have tattoos. As do a fifth of the population of the United Kingdom.In this episod...

18 Nov 202247min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
henrettelsespodden
rss-katastrofe
historier-som-endret-norge
sektledere
historier-som-endret-verden
aftenposten-historie
rss-benadet
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-gamle-greier
med-egne-oyne
historiepodden
vare-historier
liberal-halvtime
rss-politisk-preik
rss-historiske-romanser-svik-drap-og-kjarlighet
rss-historiepodden-ww2
rss-alt-var-bedre-for