Having the Last Say?
Students often wonder why it is necessary to study the life and times of writers. The study of Shakespeare in Australian schools is certainly one which demands an understanding of the context of his world, which of course was very different to our own modern world.
A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald (April 26, 2007) gave a slant on this, when it revealed an engraving which Shakespeare composed for his own tomb at Stratford-on-Avon. The prose read:
Good frend for Jesus sake forebeare, To digg the dust encloased heare; Bleste be the man that spares thes stones, And curst be he that moves my bones.
He wrote this to prevent grave diggers from opening his tomb and removing his remains after his death in 1616 – since this practice was common in Shakespeare’s times.
According to the SMH article, “Philip Schwyzer, a senior lecturer at Exeter University, said: ‘Shakespeare had an unusual obsession with burial and a fear of exhumation. The stern inscription on the slab has been at least partially responsible for the fact that there have been no successful projects to open the grave.’ ”
So did Shakespeare really have the last word? His preoccupation with themes of death in his writing certainly followed him to the grave.
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May 1st, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Linda, thanks for pointing me to an interesting article. Could have sworn I read this edition but missed the curse of Shakespeare. Adds an interesting item to the very little really known about The Bard.