Often considered the greatest writer in the English Language, and the world’s greatest
playwright, William Shakespeare’s works have captivated audiences for round 5 centuries.
From humble beginnings in Stratford-Upon-Avon, he rose to prominence during the reign of Tudor Queen
Elizabeth I, and he was also an actor and owner of the playing company the Lord Chamberlain’s Men,
or the King’s Men. Some of his best known works, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Othello
and Macbeth have been translated and performed in dozens of languages world wide, and through
his writing he explored many different topics which were considered controversial at the time.
However, at the age of 52 he passed away in the same town that he was born and raised in.
But what is the story behind Shakespeares death? Join us today to find out,
and remember to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
It’s not known for definite when Shakespeare began writing, but a number of his plays were
being performed by 1592 in London. He was known in the city at the time, and he did act himself
in a number of his plays. Throughout his life and career, he split his time between the bustling
London and the much quieter Stratford upon Avon, and he owned houses in both of them.
He is famous for overseeing the construction of the Globe Theatre, but it was said by Samuel
Johnson that Shakespeare retired home to Stratford for a number of years before he passed away.
In 1608 he was still working as an Actor, but the following year the bubonic plague laid waste to
London. Because of this, the playhouses and theatres were closed during the outbreak,
and Shakespeare would have been out of work at the time. He continued to visit London between 1611
and 1614, and was used as a witness at a court case. No other plays are attributed to him after
the year 1613, however on the 23rd April 1616 he passed away. It’s commonly believed that he
passed away on his birthday, but the exact date of his death is not known. The burial records inside
the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford Upon Avon states how he was buried on the 25th April 1616.
The final months of his life were embroiled in scandal
as his daughter Judith was married to Thomas Quiney. Thomas had an affair with another woman,
who fell pregnant and then died in childbirth, and this caused a great shock throughout the family.
Quiney was brought to a church court, and was forced to do public penance.
This brought shame to the family, and also may have been why months before his death,
Shakespeare organised his affairs and his will. But how did Shakespeare die?
The exact cause of his death is not known, but there is a common theory that he passed away
after contracting a fever after having a drinking binge and a heavy night of
alcohol with Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton, both fellow writers. The vicar of the Holy
Trinity Church where he is buried, John Ward at the time wrote, ‘Shakespeare, Drayon and Jonson
had a merry meeting, and it seems drank too hard; for Shakespeare died of a fever contracted there.’
It’s considered to be a rather historically accurate sentiment too,
as some historians accept that this happened, but this anecdote could be embellished. But there is
another belief which is more realistic, and it’s that for a over a month before he died he was ill.
This comes from the fact he dictated his will on the 25th March,
less than a month before he passed away. This would keep up with the tradition at the time
that one made their will whilst on their deathbed, and it’s likely that Shakespeare knew what was
coming, so decided to get his affairs in order. The signature on his will is also rather shaky,
showing that he could have been ill or been frail. However the fact he lived to the age of 52
was considered a triumph, as in Elizabethan England the average age of
a man was roughly 35-40 years old. His wealth and comfortability probably led to him living longer.
He died a wealthy man too, and in anticipation of his death he left words to be written on his tomb.
They read, ‘Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, to dig the dust enclosed here,
blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones.’
Lying today still in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford Upon Avon
is the remains of the greatest playwright the world has ever seen. His death and demise remains
a mystery, but it’s likely that he just got ill and sick. He lived a very interesting life,
but like most great artists, he was appreciated in the time and centuries after his death.
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