Who killed William Shakespeare; The Murderer, the Motive, the Means
By Simon Andrew Stirling
Published by The History Press
ISBN: 978-0752487250
We actually know very little about the man William Shakespeare. There are plenty of theories about who he MIGHT have been if you have trouble accepting the person who could barely write his own name and in some instances used an X to sign legal documents as the author of the greatest literary works of the English language.
This is the first time someone has drawn in the thin strands of known historical detail and examined the death of the playwright which curiously and apparently occurred unremarked and without comment at the time. What we think we know about his demise was written down 50 years after his death by a "vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford (where Shakespeare is buried), tells us that "Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted." The Chinese curse [XBR] invites one to 'Live in interesting times' and England in the reign of Elizabeth and subsequently James was a turbulent and oft violent affair especially with regards to the faith one followed.
It was the later discovery in 1757 of a hand stitched document found in the rafters of the birthplace property of William Shakespeare on Henley Street in Stratford, which was on examination declared to be the 'Catholic' last will and testament of one John Shakespeare, William's father. It is too lengthy to reveal what happened to this document suffice to say it is what ignited this author's journey into the historic past to re-examine the known details of the life of Shakespeare, under the supposition that the man was a Catholic in a time when it was a death sentence to be discovered as such. His writings are re-assessed with this theory in mind, the known details of his journeys and those he met and associated with are given a forensic examination which makes for compelling reading, whether you can buy into this theory or not, this is jolly good cold case reading with all its attendant skulduggery and mystery.