William Shakespeare Quotes

Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 3. A good example of love crossing gender lines. Antonio says that his desire for Sebastian is “more sharp than filed steel” – an arrow, sword or spear. There is no denying the closeness and intimacy of the relationship between the two. It is one of the most famous bromances in Shakespeare’s plays, right up there with Hamlet and Horatio (Hamlet), Mercutio and Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Arcite and Palamon (The Two Noble Kinsmen), and Leontes and Polixenes (The Winter’s Tale). But in this case, it’s a bromance that verges on the romantic – for Antonio, at least. One possible reason for Antonio’s love is that he rescued Sebastian and nursed him back to health.