sentences:  Antonio's deep friendship and dependence on Bassanio, his willingness to risk his life on Bassanio's behalf, and his draining of his own finances to support Bassanio has been read as supporting the theory that Antonio is homosexual.Some people believe that Antonio was just a very good friend of Bassanio, and that he was almost like a son.Various interpreters began to read Antonio as homosexual in the 1950s, but there have been many objections.