Shakespeare: Twelfth Night

This picture is of Olivia and Orsino. I find this play rather humoring even after 400 years that it was popular. I ask myself was Shakespeare a gay man or did he have gay tendencies due to the infatuation of Antonio toward Sebastian? Or was he just playing on the fact that love is not clearly defined and changes often in this play. I am not saying that this famous playwright was gay; I just find it rather interesting that he not only plays on transvestites or heterosexual relationships, but he also incorporates a homosexual infatuation. I found this play hillarious but rather slow at times and I often find myself distraught by the humiliation of Malvolio. I wonder if these love triangles and lack of identity were themes in the 1600s? For instance, the protagonist, Viola, does not necessarily even have to dress as a man to get a job considering she does not have to work for Olivia but rather she could find a job elsewhere, but Shakepeare still has her dress as a young man but with female attributes which Orsino sees. This attraction between Orsino and Cesario also hints to homosexuality. Is this the purpose? This play confuses me in the fact it has a lot of sexual overtones that I do not quite understand. However, this love triangle between viola, Orsino, and Olivia is rather humorous to watch unfold. For instance, at the end Orsino does not even seem to care whether or not Viola is a man or female but since she is a woman he automatically "loves" her and they wed. Olivia marries Sebastian, Viola's long lost twin brother, and she does not protest even when she finds out that he is not really Cesario. Also, Viola mistakenly betrays Antonio who is rather heartbreaking since you know he is not going to live happily ever after in this madness of love, but rather I find his infatuation the only one to bare truth; it never changes like the others. I find this play using the insanity of love and how it controls you or even leads you astray at times, but how if you do not love "true" then it can change often. This play also uses homosexuality and heterosexuality to explain attraction and misinterpretation of identity. I am just floored of all of the characters and how they fit into this play not so much the main roles but the other ones also. For instance, the clown, Feste is actually the most intelligent character of them all, but he hides his intelligence behind an entertainer. This play is all about deceit but somehow it all works out in the end. This link below is a website that describes this play in detail and how readers can enjoy this play: http://www.pathguy.com/12n.htm