What Is the Inscription on William Shakespeare's Gravestone?

Renowned English poet and playwright William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon on or about April 23, 1564, as reported by the Shakespeare Resource Center. At 18, he married Anne Hathaway and they had three children. According to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, he moved to London and his reputation as a poet and dramatist began, leading to success and modest wealth. The Shakespeare Resource Center reports Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, his fifty-second birthday.

Inscription

Inscription on gravestone

Noted by the Shakespeare Resource Center, even in death, Shakespeare left a final piece of verse as his epitaph:

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.

Shakespeare's Works

Shakespeare's Plays

William Shakespeare's legacy includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets and two epic narrative poems that doubtfully will be matched again. His plays are categorized in four genres: medieval drama, comedy, tragedy and the romantic tragicomedy. Scholars continue to study his many works, including the early comedy "Love's Labour Lost" and the later tragedies of "Hamlet" and "King Lear." His words have endured for 400 years, and according to the Literature Network, continue to impact the world of literature.

Authorship Controversy

Is Shakespeare the True Author?

The Shakespeare Resource Center reports that there are conspiracy theories regarding Shakespeare's works that he is not the true author. In the eighteenth century, skeptics believed that the works were too intelligent to be the product of a man that did not attend a university, according to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Possible candidates reported by the Shakespeare Resource Center as the actual author include Francis Bacon, playwright Christopher Marlowe and Edward De Vere, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford.

Death

Buried at Holy Trinity Church

Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, of an unknown illness. His burial occurred at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford two days later, as reported by the Shakespeare Resource Center. He is buried beneath the floor of the church in the chancel, the space around the altar surrounded by lattice or railing. His wife, Anne Hathaway, died in 1623 and is buried beside him.

Last Will and Testament

Last Will and Testament

In 1611, Shakespeare wrote his will, bequeathing his properties to his daughter Susanna, ₤300 (pounds) to his other daughter Judith and furniture, including his "second best bed," to his wife Anne, according to the Shakespeare Resource Center. He also left ₤10 to the poor of Stratford, a considerable amount for that time. The rest of his belongings went to Susanna and her husband. No books or play scripts are mentioned in the will, since they were the property of the King's Men. Any books would not have been itemized in the will but would have been part of his "goodes," reports Online Shakespeare.

References

• Online Shakespeare: Death
• The Death of William Shakespeare
• Shakespeare Resource Center: Shakespeare's Biography
• Shakespeare Resource Center: Shakespeare's Works
• Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: Outline of Shakespeare's Life

Resources

• Literature Network: William Shakespeare
• Shakespeare-Online: Shakespeare of Stratford