The Merchant of Venice "play Antonio as gay". Joseph Fiennes, however, who plays Bassanio, encouraged a homoerotic interpretation and, in fact, surprised Irons with the kiss on set, which was filmed in one take. Fiennes defended his choice, saying "I would never invent something before doing my detective work in the text. If you look at the choice of language … you'll read very sensuous language. That's the key for me in the relationship. The great thing about Shakespeare and why he's so difficult to pin down is his ambiguity. He's not saying they're gay or they're straight, he's leaving it up to his
Shakespeare in the Arb as "Shakespeare in the Arb is a hugely popular local summer tradition." A particular favorite is A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play—with its natural setting, structure, and language—is perfect for presenting in the arboretum, which features dense heavy woods with mature trees, large lawns, steep hills, and a river. In 2015, A Midsummer Night's Dream was presented for the third time since the festival began. Shakespeare in the Arb Shakespeare in the Arb is an annual event, presented in the open, in Nichols Arboretum. Nichols Arboretum is a 123-acre (49.7 hectares) heavily wooded park, with large landscape lawns surrounded by