Shakespeare Pt. 3 The Playwright's Secrets

Photo credit to Birmingham Museums Trust

A chilling sense of mystery surrounds Shakespeare’s death and burial. Before we discuss it, though, I would like to say that it almost seems right that the world’s greatest playwright–and possibly author–should be shrouded in this much mystery. After all, he was no ordinary person. 

     To begin with, it is unknown as to how the great playwright died. Shakespeare passed away at the age of 52 within a month of signing his will, on which he described himself as “in perfect health.” There are no records as to why he died except the very unlikely conclusion that the vicar of the Stratford church wrote about in his diary. “Shakespeare, Drayton and Ben Johnson had a merry meeting and, it seems, drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.” 

     It is doubtful that he actually got a fever from drinking too much, though perhaps the meeting had something to do with his death. One of the men there, Ben Johnson, was a known rival of Shakespeare’s. The two were relatively close in age and both were writing plays. Perhaps Johnson murdered Shakespeare? We will never know for sure.    

      When he died, Shakespeare was buried in Westminster Abbey, London. One of the first odd things about his grave is that it is less than a meter long, shorter than his wife’s grave. Secondly, among his family, he is the only one who does not have a name inscribed over his grave. The only marking above him reads, “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.” It is, however, certain, that it is Shakespeare’s grave because sometime before 1623, a monument depicting him writing was erected on the nearby north wall.   

     The purpose for the strange verse over Shakespeare’s tomb is unknown. He, of course, was an expert at creating plot twists and chilling stories with surprising endings and it could be that he wished to leave one more mystery behind him before he died. Or perhaps he wished to keep the common practice of moving bodies to make room for other burials from bothering his grave. Either way, the feeling of uncertainty and caution that he wanted has definitely followed it through the centuries. Not even when the surrounding area was reconstructed in 2008, was his grave touched.

     At last curiosity got the better of people and in 2016, they conducted a scan to explore the remains below the stone. This way, they didn’t physically interfere with the bones. The results of the scan were shocking. One specific place showed signs of having been tampered with and even worse, Shakespeare’s skull was missing. 

     It was then that researchers decided to reexamine an old story that had been published in 1879 and dismissed as nonsense. 

     The tale went that in 1794, a man named Frank Chambers and several grave robbers stole the skull and sold it to someone else for the price of three hundred guineas.

     Another story went that Frank Chambers panicked and hid the skull in St. Leonard’s Church in Beoley, Worcestershire. Frantic researchers streamed to the church that had held a skull of unknown origins for some time. This lead was a dead end, as the skull was identified to be that of a woman about 70 years old.

     And that is the end of the tale. It, of course, leaves several questions unanswered. How did Shakespeare die? From the very beginning, why was his grave only a meter long? And lastly, if his skull was stolen…where is it? 

     Unfortunately, it seems these questions must go unanswered. But then again, maybe it isn’t unfortunate. If we knew all the answers, it wouldn’t be a mystery anymore, would it?

Thanks for reading!

Deus Benedicat tibi.

(God bless you)

Works Cited:

Davidson, Lucy. "The Strange Mystery of the Curse on Shakespeare's Grave."

HistoryHit.com. HistoryHit. 25 May. 2022. Web. 21 Jan. 2024.