The Dutch Translations of Homoerotic Elements In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 20

Abstract

This thesis sets out to answer the question what the different Dutch translators of Shakespeare’s sonnets did with the (alleged) homoerotic dimension of the texts in their translations and if that represents the ideas about homosexuality of their time. Specifically, this thesis analyses three translations, from three different eras, of Sonnet 20 because this sonnet is in the centre of the debate around a homoerotic reading of Shakespeare's work. It tries to answer this question by giving the historical context in which the translations were produced, analysing what the translators wrote about their work themselves and analysing the translations in general and three homoerotic elements specifically.