On the Day April 23 1616

William Shakespeare Dies

Khen Lim




Image source: 50img.com

On April 23, exactly four-hundred years ago, William Shakespeare died. He was aged fifty-two. Though we know him famously as the world-renowned English poet, playwright and even actor, but most assuredly, England’s greatest writer, we actually don’t know much about his private life beyond the usual details.

For example, we don’t have enough information as to whether or not he was a true Christian. From the anecdotes about his life, some cast doubts despite being a loyal member of the Anglican Church. For all his celebrated works, he did nothing with the many colourful stories in the Bible.

However a month prior to his death, he wrote his will and in the concluding parts, he penned the following words, “I commend my soul into the hands of God, my Creator, hoping and assuredly believing through the only merits of Jesus Christ, my Saviour, to be made partaker of life everlasting.” 

Although he never wrote a play on any biblical stories, it seems the Bible and Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer were his most constant and persistent reference sources, quoting from at least forty-two of the former’s books and phrases from prayers cited from the latter. In Scripture alone, Shakespeare sourced 151 and 137 times from the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Psalms respectively.

But herein lies the greatest mystery about this prolific writer from the Golden Age of the Elizabeth period:

If you have the King James Version of the Bible, turn to Psalm 46. The 46 words counting from the beginning and the end of the chapter are respectively ‘Shake’ and ‘Spear.’ If that isn’t interesting enough, how about the fact that in 1610 when the King James Version was translated, Shakespeare was 46 years old?

And no, he wasn’t part of the group that developed the translation of the KJV.