Shakespeare (left) and his wife Hathaway (drawing by Nathaniel Curzon, dated 1708).
WILLIAM Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the greatest playwrights in history. Some of his most famous works are Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Tempest, Hamlet, Othello and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
He died on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52 and at the point of his passing had been married to Anne Hathaway – who coincidentally shares a name with an actress from several centuries later – for about 34 years.
Is it true that The Bard left his "second best bed" to Hathaway in his will?
VERDICT:
TRUE
Yes, Shakespeare wrote in his last will and testament dated March 25, 1616 that (sic) "Item I gyve unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture".
In this case, "furniture" is used to refer to the curtains and bedcover which formed part of the complete bed.
This bequest of his "second best bed" to his wife has sparked speculation and debate among scholars.
However, recent findings have shed new light and it seems unlikely it was intended as the snub that it appears to us today.
Through X-ray and infra-red analysis conducted by conservators from The National Archives, it has been revealed that the clause regarding the "second best bed" was added to Shakespeare's will approximately a month before his death.
In Shakespeare's time, a bed was an expensive and luxurious item, generally regarded as a valuable heirloom. The "best bed" was often reserved for guests, so the "second best bed" referenced in Shakespeare's will is likely to have been the marriage bed he and his wife shared – a personal and touching gesture from a dying man.
References:
https://www.folger.edu/
https://www.shakespeare.org.
