Jest for Zest: Shakespeare, Measured

Written and Designed by: Ng Le Kang (23-I2)

Shakespeare is arguably one of the most influential figures in English literature. His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. Beyond his sparkling persona as the poet, the playwright and the actor, he seems to still be shrouded by a mysterious air, one that remains almost inaccessible to us. How should we better understand him as a person then? By some speculative gossip (this is rather presumptuous, given my limited knowledge of his avant garde life), which I will attempt today in a deference. 

If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumbered here

While these visions did appear.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5 Scene 1

Begin with the End in Mind

Ignore this chapter if you are squirmy. I’m kidding, don’t. So, how did Shakespeare die? The only lead we have is John Ward’s account of Shakespeare’s death in his diary (Ward was vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon and physician). 

The diary entry details the bard’s death in a rather…flippant tone “Shakespeare, Drayton and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.” To give some context, Drayton was a poet and playwright who spent much time at Clifford Chambers, only a mile away from Stratford while Ben Jonson was a writer who was based in London, both a friend and a rival of Shakespeare’s. They were both frequent visitors, and even close friends to Shakespeare. So before any of you go about accusing them of spiking the drink, yes, they were not opps. Now, how true could this statement be, considering it is the only written clue of Shakespeare’s death? To better examine this, it is good to note that Vicar Ward wrote this entry some 50 years after Shakespeare died. The delay in time seems rather…odd. It would be likely that this was mere gossip rather than our gospel truth. Another clue to its inaccuracy would be dying of ‘fever’, as fever is not generally associated with overconsumption of alcohol and death by acute alcohol poisoning, while still remaining a possibility, would have been unlikely given Shakespeare’s experience with drinking. This apocryphal drinking bout, while being ironically poetic and romantic, might be far from the life which Shakspeare had led; real. 

Back to the lead on ‘fever’, while gossips are unreliable, they do present some truths, and fevers could potentially be the way Shakespeare died. This would have been a strong argument until we bring into the picture: John Hall. He was a prominent physician who enjoyed a close relationship with his father-in-law, our favourite playwright. He was the only physician stationed at Stratford and it would have made sense for him to have been called to examine Shakespeare. However, in 1654, 22 years after Hall died, his published clinical notes described his treatment of his wife, Susanna Shakespeare Hall, but left no information about the demise of his very eminent father-in-law. While it is impossible to ascertain Shakespeare’s fever, we must concede we do not know the circumstances which could have led to this absence of treatment from John Hall. Perhaps he was helplessly clueless on what to do (please do not take my word for it).

Here comes what I would like to assert as the most promising clue: Shakespeare’s will. It's not uncommon - particularly in that period - for people to delay making their wills until they know that they’re likely to die before long, so that may be some indication that he knew that he was dying. Infrared examination of the fragile document has shown that it had previously been drafted a few months earlier, in January of that year. Shakespeare saw fit to update it in March just before he died, likely a result of his daughter’s unfortunate marriage (which I will not dwell on), and his knowledge of his impending demise. This points to him being stricken with an illness and making his final arrangements in the fleeting time he had before death took him. I would like to therefore measure his death as: the result of a chronic illness.

Before we move on, I would like to add on a few interesting facts for you to measure his death. C. Martin Mitchell, who wrote a biography of Shakespeare’s son-in-law, confidently asserted that it was a cerebral haemorrhage, owing to a Droeshout portrait of Shakespeare where Shakespeare seemed to have “marked thickening of the left temporal artery”. Shakespeare’s era was also rife with infectious diseases, including syphilis, which could explain the cause of Shakespeare’s unrecorded death. Given Shakespeare’s often lewd imagery, it could mean that he was a common patron to his…appetite. Moving on.

Anne and her Husband

No, I’m not talking about them (In case you didn’t know, this is Anne Hathaway and her husband, Adam Shulman. (If you were curious what his name was. Also, guys, why does he look oddly like Ryan Gosling, I’m serious just search up on Google)). I’m talking about Anne Hathaway, wife to Shakespeare. It is really telling if you were misled by the heading, showing her taking the back seat in the grand scheme of Shakespeare. To better understand Shakespeare, it seems pertinent to understand his marital life.

Now, let's trace back and relook at Shakespeare’s will: ‘To my wife I leave the second best bed, with all the hangings.’ 

This has been a highly controversial last line to Shakespeare’s will (unfortunately it seems that Shakespeare’s most intimate reflection of his life came from his will) as it has been driving the great discussion on whether Shakespeare really loved his wife. It is so contentious largely due to ‘the second best bed’ which he mentions, which seems to have been written as an afterthought. Given the beautiful verses which he has written of lovers:

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep. The more I give to thee,

The more I have, for both are infinite.”

Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2

It seems that his last possible profession of love to his wife was, lacklustre. Critics have even presented the idea of an estranged relationship given how his will seems to ridicule the relationship he had with Anne, how all she was deserving of was the second best bed. At this point, it would seem unfair to mention that the best bed was the guest bed in that time, and was saved for guests, while the second best bed was the marital bed. Hence, the use of the second best bed could have been a rather romantic last note. There were plenty of other wills that made such bequests, and the expectation would be that their wife would carry on living in the house until her death. However, if we look deeper into the context, Shakespeare’s contemporaries in the theatrical profession have completely different wills to bid farewell to their wives. As a matter of fact, Shakespeare’s will is the most unfeeling one of all. Barbage, an English stage actor, had in his will “I make my wife - my trusty and well-beloved wife - my sole executor, end of.” Most people make use of their wills as an opportunity to leave heartfelt messages to their wives. Therefore, Anne is almost non-existent, and appears for what may seem like merely formalities. 

Another reason that many choose to believe in the estranged relationship of theirs would be the absence of Shakespeare from the family from 1590 to 1613, where he left for Stratford to pursue his career in London. It is a possibility, however not so probable. Given the condition of his father’s debt and his father’s trade as a glover which Shakespeare did not carry on, it would have made sense for him to look for opportunities to sell his craft, to make his earnings for the family. Clearly, that place would have to be – London; where all the opportunities were, and showed the most promise of a better future. It still is a prevalent concept today, where people from rising social classes would move towards cities where opportunities are more attractive. Therefore it is a rather myopic perspective to simply jump to conclusions about his love life, as he was merely serving his role as a dutiful husband – to be the breadwinner of the family. Given that Shakespeare eventually returned home and also bought New Place, which was a relatively large house (though contentious on whether it was new and well furnished), it seems that he had more of an attachment to the family than we would expect. My verdict would therefore be that Shakespeare was dutifully and loving as a husband, who also had great affairs and encounters with people in London just like everybody else did. 

As surfeit is the father of much fast,

So every scope by the immoderate use

Turns to restraint. Our natures do pursue,

Like rats that ravin down their proper bane,

A thirsty evil; and when we drink we die.

Measure for Measure, Act 1 Scene 2

One other reason for the rather negative perception of their relationship would be the surprising age gap. William was 18 while Anne was 26 when they got married. Some speculate that Anne had seduced William and therefore led to his unhappy marriage. Contrary to popular belief though, Anne was not considered an old spinster, but rather a maiden at the eligible age of marriage. In contrast, William would have been considered young, considering how boy players on stage ranged from 14 up to 20 years in age; William was definitely the one who was breaking societal norms. Pretty apt given his revolutionary writing. 

Even so, many continue to show an unjustified aversion, as she seems undeserving of such a prowess of literature. Given his success, he would have been wealthy and successful, right? Wrong. Most of the playwrights were shareholders, because as proprietor Henslowe found it expedient to involve them in the business as a way of putting pressure on them to produce playscripts on demand. Now, let’s bring New Place back into the picture. While New Place may have been large, there is no evidence that it was fine, an assumption made by many given the premise of a large house. In fact, the ‘property had never been properly maintained’ and was in disrepair. It would have been more likely that she restored it and she ran the place rather than him. Perhaps it was her money that paid for it. Girlboss Anne.

The Fair Youth

Now that we have settled Shakespeare’s marriage, let's delve deeper into our subject matter, and get to the marrow of the bone of our fair youth. Before any homophobes out there show me hate, beware, I have given you ample time and warning to leave, if you wish. All ready now? Great. Let’s talk about the million-dollar question: to be or not to be gay? Perhaps you should take a leaf out of Shakespeare’s book, and answer this burning question which we all had in our fair youths about our gender identity.

Shakespeare has a plethora of poems and plays under his belt, many of which often hint at sexual undertones, or more outrightly, of the issue of sex. So, what did Shakespeare identify as, given his rather ‘revolutionary’ writings which were homoerotic in focus? Before we examine the nature of him, let’s look a little at the Jacobean era.

Evidence of homosexual desires and behaviour is found in every culture on earth and at every time and place in history, the Jacobean era included. However, the closest that early modern English was to homosexuality is sodomy. But to the Elizabethans, sodomy was solely an act; it was not a lifestyle – not like the relationships which people hold now. Therefore in defence of Shakespeare, while being morally wrong, his act in sodomy should be distinctly separated from his marriage and relationship with Anne.

Let us now begin with the poem, Venus and Adonis. Dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, which we will bring up again later. This poem is in the perspective of erotic desire from Venus’s side. The centre of erotic attention is not her body, but that of Adonis. Given that Shakespeare’s audience would largely be the educated literate males, the focus of the poem seems to hint at homoeroticism. 

Now quick desire hath caught the yielding prey,

And glutton-like she feeds, yet never filleth.

Her lips are conquerors, his lips obey,

Paying what ransom the insulter willeth,

Whose vulture thought doth pitch the price so high

That she will draw his lips’ rich treasure dry.

Venus and Adonis

The above passage is an extract from Venus and Adonis, of which conveys her lust towards Adonis, written from her perspective. The fact that this poem was dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, who according to his biographers, seems to match the physical and psychological description of Adonis, is revealing. Could this be revealing of Shakespeare’s feelings for Henry Wriotheseley? More importantly, could this be a secret declaration of his eroticism towards him? This is similarly echoed in Rape of Lucree, which is even more sexual. What is even more revealing is the dedication which he wrote to Henry Wriothesley:

TO THE RIGHT

HONORABLE, HENRY

Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton,

and Baron of Titchfield.

The love I dedicate to your Lordship is without end; whereof this pamphlet without beginning is but a superfluous moiety. The warrant I have of your honourable disposition, not the worth of my untutored lines, makes it assured of acceptance. What I have done is yours; what I have to do is yours; being part in all I have, devoted yours. Were my worth greater, my duty would show greater; meantime, as it is, it is bound to your Lordship, to whom I wish long life still lengthened with all happiness.

Your Lordship’s in all duty,

William Shakespeare

What makes it controversial is that there is no other dedication with such homoerotic overtones, and therefore might even be read as a declaration of love. Who knew Shakespeare was such a romantic? Let us now talk about the fair youth which is commonly mentioned in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, which many have drawn a connection with Henry Wriothesley. 

The Sonnets. What is interesting to note is that Shakespeare had nothing to do with the publishing of his Sonnets. Could it be that they are expressions of Shakespeare’s passion, and that they are autobiographical? This could be very telling of Shakespeare’s sexual orientation, given the profusive expressions of love, and adoration for this fair youth. It is also good to note that that is the only time that Shakespeare uses the first person perspective, the “I,” in his writings. The closest thing we get to Shakespeare being autobiographical is his Sonnets. This therefore further strengthens the link to his homoeroticism.

However, Shakespeare and Henry Wriothesley being homosexual remains hypothetical. This is as not all the ‘Fair Youth’ sonnets, numbers 1–126, were addressed to a man, let alone Henry Wriothesley. Only about a third specify the sex of the addressee. Many of the others could just as well be addressed to a woman. Furthermore, the claim is only true given that Shakespeare’s Sonnets are indeed autobiographical in nature. Poems are works of the imagination, and have a distinction from the poet’s life. In Shakespeare’s time, the only gossip regarding his sexual activity was hetero in nature. While gossip does not represent facts, it seems unlikely that if Shakespeare was gay, it could have escaped public scrutiny. That being said, it does present an alternative to Shakespeare’s love life, if you please. The judgement call is yours.

Last Words

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts

As You Like It, Act 2 Scene 7

Fare thee well.