I'm a Shakespeare trashaholic.   If there were a PEOPLE MAGAZINE and NATIONAL ENQUIRER for Shakespeare's time, I'd have every issue.  I don't care how many sonnets he wrote or that he delighted in puns or used lots of light and dark imagry in ROMEO AND JULIET.  I'm dying to know the trashy stuff.  Did he sleep with Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, or were they just really close friends?  Did he leave only his second-best bed to his wife Anne out of spite or because he knew she was otherwise taken care of?  Who was the Dark Lady and was his love for her more than poetic?  Where did they meet for their little trysts?  Did Anne know about them?  How well did Will =know= the Queen, if you get my drift?  Did Henry really give Will 1,000 pounds to build a house?  If so, were there . . . strings?  Why did Henry pose in drag for that portrait?  What kind relationship did Will have Kit Christopher Marlowe?  Did Kit and Will and Henry ever share a bed?  Did Will and Henry really help a friend sneak out of town after the friend killed a rival in a family feud?  Did Will help Kit Marlowe with his international spying?

C'mon, history!  We're dying to know here!  Everyone involved is long dead now, so why keep quiet?

We have a teeny tiny piece of this puzzle revealed today:

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1883770,00.html

At least now we know what Will looked like before he died, and that he was indeed a gentleman, at least by social stature.

My freshmen are watching the movie ROMEO AND JULIET.  I usually show it before we read the play because I've found it helps them understand the reading when they already know what happens and have a mental picture of who is who.  I also read the play aloud in class every year.  (My students listen to a tape of actors and follow along in their books.)

It's occurred to me that, on average, I've taught 2.5 sections of English 9 per year for 14 years.  This means that I've both watched and read R&J at least 35 times.  (!)

My students are always amazed that I can quote long passages from the play from memory.  Ha!

If you want an expert on ROMEO AND JULIET, don't go to a university to consult a Shakespearean professor.  Talk to an experienced high school English teacher.