8-2Will

Answer provided by: Cristina R. ** William Shakespeare’s last Will and Testament was coincidentally written mere weeks before his death. He seemed to feel he was going to die. William Shakespeare died the 25th of April 1616, but the cause of his death is still a mystery. Many historians and scientists are perplexed by how he died and historians are still looking for documents stating the cause of his death. There is a clear document of his burial, but no official doctor’s note of any sort pronouncing his death or how it happened. Shakespeare’s life is full of mysteries, and his death is no exception The Last Will and Testament was a surprise to many in the Shakespeare family. William Shakespeare cut up his will in an odd manner .To his daughter, Judith, he left a total of 450 pounds split up into sections, with each section having a certain condition. He also left her a silver bowl. To his other daughter, Susanna, and her husband, he left the rest of his goods, including his jewels, household stuff, chattels, leases and ceramics. To his granddaughter, Elizabeth, he left all his silver except for the bowl he left Judith. He left ten pounds to the poor in Stratford, 30 pounds to his sister and gave five pounds to each of her sons. After he died, he gave his sister permission to stay for minimal rent in the Western of the two houses on Henley Street which he had inherited them from his father in 1601. To his lifelong friend Hamnet Sadler, he left enough money to buy a “memorial ring to four of his friends, John Hemynges Richard Burbage and Henry Cundell. These rings were also known as signet rings. Signet rings were used to make an impression in sealing wax to authenticate documents or personal papers. After he divvied up his things, he finally got to his wife. This one section of the will is the most common section of all. To his wife and lifelong partner, Anne, he left his “second best bed.” There were questions that were asked and went unanswered, leaving many theories. For example, Shakespeare disappeared for seven years. No one knows what happened to him. When he was 21, he was married and had three children. Seven years later he was part owner of a theater company. Some say he ran off to be a soldier, others say he was a common man who held horses for a living. But then, the rarest theory, is when he left those seven years is because he had fallen out of love for his wife or she for him. She either bid him to leave or he did on his own. Possibly, he found another woman. This theory however isn’t very clear. Maybe he did fall out of love, but did he fall in love with another woman? If that were true, would he not have left her something in his will? These same questions have been asked and fairy tale answers have been given. Some people suggest he went to her before he wrote his will and gave her something extremely personal; or, maybe he wrote it secretly and ordered that it be burned before anyone found it. He didn’t leave his wife anything personal, but under law, it is her right to get one-third of his estate as well as a permanent residence at New Place. Other scholars suggest that by leaving her the "second best bed", which in Elizabethan times was considered the "marriage bed", he was offering a form of respect. Had he left her the "first bed", that would indeed have been insulting, for in Elizabethan England the first bed was left for guests, if he were to have left that to his wife, he would have been suggesting she was simply a guest in his home. One other interesting element of Shakespeare's Will was the way he left money to the poor. In one of his plays, "Julius Caesar" there is a reference to a will. In Act 3 Scene 2 townspeople and a main character, Anthony, were at Caesar’s funeral. Anthony was saying some respectful words on behalf of Caesar and he was trying to rouse some respect out of the townspeople who did not trust Caesar anymore. Once everyone quieted down, Anthony was reading Caesar’s Will. The Will stated, “To every Roman citizen he gives, To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.” William Shakespeare similarly states in his Will, “Item I gyve and bequeath unto the Poore of Stratford aforesaied tenn poundes”. Even though the two sentences are not perfectly equal, they both have the same concept; to give to the poor money upon Shakespeare's death. Sir William Shakespeare was an honorable man. Even though to an outsider he seems to have made some “interesting choices” in his Will, it is not up to others to question his motives. Because it was his last Will and Testament, his wishes are all that really matter.
 * Shakespeare’s Will and Testament

__Works Cited__

<[]>.
 * "Anne Hathaway's Cottage." Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. 14 Apr 2009. 3 Apr 2009

Gray, Terry. "Reviews." Google Shakespeare. 2 Feb 2009. 14 Apr 2009 <[]>

Halsall, Paul. "Ancient History Sourcebook: William Shakespeare: from Julius Ceasar:Act 3, Scene 2 Anthony's Speech." Ancient History Sourcebook. June 1998 .16 Mar 2009 [].

Lloyd Evans, Gareth, and Barbara. The Shakespeare Companion. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978. Print.

Nicoll, Allardyce. Studies in Shakespeare. London, England: The Hogarth Press,1927. Print.

Pressley, J. M.. "Shakespeare's "Lost Years"." Shakespeare Resource Center. 18 Feb 2009. 18 Mar 2009 <[]>.

"The Folger Shop: Shakespeare Signet Ring." Folger Shakespeare Library. April 2009. 16 Mar 2009 <[]>.

"The Last Will & Testament of William Shakespeare." William Shakespeare Info. 2005.15 Mar 2009 <[]>.

Wood, Michael. In Search of Shakespeare. New York: Longman, 2003. Print. **