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· 08 Nov 2021

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How old was Shakespeare when he died?

How old Was Shakespeare when he wrote his first play did Shakespeare really die on his birthday?
William Shakespeare, an English poet, and playwright died on April 23, 1616, in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, at the age of fifty-two. His death occurred on or near his birthday (his actual birthday is uncertain), which may have inspired a later rumor that he fell ill and died after a night of excessive drinking with two other poets, Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton.

When did Shakespeare die?

William Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, his 52nd birthday. In truth, the exact date of Shakespeare’s death is not known but assumed from a record of his burial two days later, 25 April 1616, at Holy Trinity Church. Stratford upon Avon, where his grave remains. The last months of Shakespeare’s life were embroiled in scandal after his daughter Judith’s husband Thomas Quiney was brought before the church court at Holy Trinity Church. Thomas was made to do penance for getting another woman pregnant who then died in childbirth – a likely reason behind Shakespeare rewriting his will on 25 March 16167. Within weeks of writing his new will, Shakespeare was dead.

How old was Shakespeare when he died?

William Shakespeare died on the day he turned 52 years old, on 23 April 1616.

Where did Shakespeare’s death happen?

In 1610 Shakespeare left his working life in London and lived in retirement with his wife in Stratford upon Avon’s largest house – New House. It is believed that Shakespeare’s death occurred in New House on 23 April 1616, where he would have been attended by his son-in-law Dr John Hall, the local physician.

How did Shakespeare die?

We don’t know the cause of Shakespeare’s death, but there is a theory that Shakespeare died after contracting a fever following a drinking binge with fellow playwrights Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton. The source of this theory is John Ward, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church in, who wrote many years after Shakespeare’s death that “Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting, and it seems drank too hard; for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.” Most historians agree, however, that given Stratford upon Avon’s reputation for scandalous stories and rumors in the 17th  Century this an overblown anecdote with no base in fact. A more convincing theory is that Shakespeare was sick for over a month before he died. The evidence comes from the fact that on 25 March 1616 (just 4 weeks before his death) Shakespeare dictated his will – in keeping with the 17th Century tradition of drawing up wills on one’s deathbed. This suggests  Shakespeare could have been aware his life was coming to an end. Some scholars also point to his signature on his will being somewhat shaky, giving evidence of his frailty at the time.

Mysterious death

Shakespeare died of a fever caught following a drinking binge with fellow playwrights Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton, according to legend. "Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a delightful reunion, and it seems they drank too heavily," wrote John Ward, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, many years after Shakespeare's death. Shakespeare was unwell for nearly a month before dying, according to a more persuasive argument. The evidence comes from Shakespeare's will, which he dictated on his deathbed on March 25, 1616 (only four weeks before his death). Shakespeare may have been aware that his life was coming to an end as a result of this. His signature on his will was likewise unsteady, according to some historians, indicating his frailty at the time. Shakespeare's death at the age of 52 is likely to remain a mystery, regardless of the reasons. In Elizabethan England, when the average life expectancy was barely 35 years, Shakespeare died as a grandfather after living an unusually long and healthy life.

Final words on the grave.

Shakespeare was buried in Stratford upon Avon's Holy Trinity Church, his parish church. Shakespeare obtained a tithe deed for £440 that allowed him the right to a cemetery in the church's chancel, where he would be buried alongside other family members. Shakespeare died in the solitude of his immediate family, and there are no confirmed records of his death, therefore no one knows for sure what his final words were. Shakespeare, however, prepared a few words to be placed on his tomb in advance of his death, to ensure that no one would dig him up and shift his remains to another location once he was buried. For the sake of Jesus, forbear, good friend, to unearth the dust confined here, says Shakespeare's epitaph. Blessed is the one who keeps these stones in place, and cursed is the man who disturbs my bones.

Did Shakespeare die poor?

Shakespeare died a wealthy man. His plays were very popular and his London theatres were booked out every day, ensuring a good income. At the end of his life, he owned several properties in London and Stratford upon Avon. He left generous amounts of money to friends and relatives. It is sometimes thought that he died poor because he left his second-best bed to his wife. It was a loving gesture because it was the custom to reserve the best bed for guests and to sleep in the second-best bed. That is where the couple slept together, where their children were conceived and born, and probably where Shakespeare died. He knew, too that his wife would be taken care of after his death, and would continue to live in the matrimonial home.

What were Shakespeare’s last words?

Nobody knows for sure what Shakespeare’s last words were, as he died in the privacy of his close family and there are no known reports of his death. However, in anticipation of his death, Shakespeare wrote a few words to be inscribed on his tomb, to ensure that once buried no-one would dig him up to move his body to somewhere else. Shakespeare’s epitaph 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.

Shakespeare was buried in Holy Trinity Church, his local parish church in Stratford upon Avon. It was unusual for anyone to be buried inside the church (rather than in the surrounding graveyard), and Shakespeare managed this by buying a tithe deed for £440 which gave him the right to have a grave in the chancel of the church, to have his final resting place alongside other family members. Read more about Shakespeare’s grave. Posthumous publication of Shakespeare’s plays Seven years after his death in 1623, a collection of 36 of Shakespeare’s plays was published called ‘Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies’. This work is commonly referred to by Shakespeare scholars as the First Folio. Because of the contents of the First Folio it is generally considered to be one of the most influential works of English literature ever published.

Shakespeare’s immortal work…

Shakespeare's friends and admirers, on the other hand, started laying the foundation for his literary immortality only a few years after his death. John Heminge and Henry Condell collected a large-format collection of his plays in 1623. The First Folio is the name given to this publication, which is one of the most well-known works of English literature. In the folio's prologue, Ben Jonson, a well-known literary figure in his own right, predicted that the world would finally recognise Shakespeare's ability, proclaiming that his friend was a writer "not of an age, but for all time!"Jonson's viewpoint has been confirmed since Shakespeare's death four centuries ago. The "Bard of Avon" is acknowledged as one of the greatest writers in history, and his works are performed, read, and taught all over the world. Shakespeare's legacy has evolved to reflect changing times; for example, throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century, his plays have been adapted into hundreds of feature films.

No memorial gathering

On 25 April 1616, two days after his death, Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church at Stratford, having earned this modest place of honour as much (it would seem) through his local reputation as a respected citizen as from any deep sense of his wider professional achievements. No memorial gatherings were held in the nation’s capital, where he had made his career, or, it would seem, elsewhere in the country. The company of players that he had led for so long did not pause (so far as we know) to acknowledge his passing, nor did his patron and protector, King James, whom he had loyally served. Only one writer, a minor Oxfordshire poet named William Basse, felt moved to offer, at some unknown date following his death, a few lines to the memory of Shakespeare, with whom he may not have been personally acquainted.
Hoping that Shakespeare might be interred at Westminster but foreseeing problems of crowding at the Abbey, Basse began by urging other distinguished English poets to roll over in their tombs, in order to make room for the new arrival.

A very quiet death

Shakespeare’s death occurred upon St George’s Day. That day was famous for the annual rites of prayer, procession, and feasting at Windsor by members of the Order of the Garter, England’s leading chivalric institution, founded in 1348 by Edward III.
Marking as it did the anniversary of the supposed martyrdom in AD 303 of St George of Cappadocia, St George’s Day was celebrated in numerous countries in and beyond Europe, as it is today, but had emerged somewhat bizarrely in late mediaeval times as a day of national significance in England.

An age of public mourning

The silence that followed the death of Shakespeare is the more remarkable coming as it did in an age that had developed such elaborate rituals of public mourning, panegyric, and commemoration, most lavishly displayed at the death of a monarch or peer of the realm, but also occasionally set in train by the death of an exceptional commoner. Consider the tributes paid to another great writer of the period, William Camden, antiquarian scholar and Clarenceux herald of arms, who died in London in late November 1623; a couple of weeks, as chance would have it, after the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio.

Backroom boys

Why should Shakespeare at his death have been so neglected? One simple answer is that King James, unlike his son, Charles, had no great passion for the theatre, and no very evident regard for Shakespeare’s genius. Early in his reign, so Dudley Carleton reported, The first holy days we had every night a public play in the great hall, at which the King was ever present, and liked or disliked as he saw cause: but it seems he takes no extraordinary pleasure in them.

FAQs

How old was Shakespeare when he died and what caused his death?

Despite all of the theories, the cause of Shakespeare's death at the age of just 52 will likely remain a mystery. But living in Elizabethan England where the average life expectancy was just 35 years, Shakespeare died a grandfather after living a relatively long and healthy life.

Did Shakespeare Die Rich?

He left money to his daughters, he left plate – that is to say gold and silver – which eventually went to his granddaughter, so he died a relatively wealthy man.

Did Shakespeare really die on his birthday?

Given that three days would be a reasonable interval between birth and baptism, 23 April has therefore come to be celebrated as his birthday. Shakespeare also died on 23 April; in 1616, when he was 52 years of age.

Live in thy shame, but die not shame with thee! These words hereafter thy tormentors be! Convey me to my bed, then to my grave; Love they to live that love and honour have

How old Was Shakespeare when he wrote his first play

Most academics agree that William wrote his first play, Henry VI, Part One around 1589 to 1590 when he would have been roughly 25 years old. The Bard is believed to have started writing the first of his 154 sonnets in 1593 at age 29. His first sonnet was Venus and Adonis published in the same year.

How many plays did Shakespeare write

Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and collaborated on several more. His 17 comedies include The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing. Among his 10 history plays are Henry V and Richard III. The most famous among his tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.

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