Shake-speares Sweetheart
The book Shake-speares Sweetheart was written by Sara Hawks Sterling in 1905. Five years after William Shakespeare’s death, friend Ben Jonson visited Shakespeare’s widow, Anne Hathaway and asked that she write the story of Shakespeare and herself. This book tells the love story of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway in a similar way that a novel or memoir tells a story. This book was published in Philadelphia by George W. Jacobs & Co. One of the first notable things about this book is in the title, having a hyphen in the middle of Shakespeare’s name: Shake-speare. The book is a medium size, roughly 9 inches by 7 inches, implying it could easily be transported. The very thick and textured pages of this book emphasize the strength and the age of this book (being made in 1905). The font size was between a medium and large size, and typed in a classic font along the lines of Times New Roman. There are five pages, each with a colored illustration having a glossy texture throughout the book, with an illustrations index at the beginning of the book. The first letter of each chapter is much larger than the rest of the letters and is very artistically detailed. Throughout the pages, there is a symbol at the bottom of each page specific to each chapter. The margins were much larger at the bottom of each page than the margins on the sides of the page. There are gold edges on the top of each page. Within the pages, there was a Christmas sticker, so it was concluded that this book was specifically a gift.
A Eulogy to William Shakespeare, from his sweetheart Anne Hathaway
William Shakespeare – a friend, a lover, a poet, a playwright, a legend. William was a man no one can replace, at least not in my heart. “For I was Shakespeare’s sweetheart.”
Shortly after my mother died on a beautiful May Day in 1582, I met the young William Shakespeare. He was from Stratford, England, born to John and Mary Shakespeare. At the age of 18, Will came to my home and asked that I go to a May Day celebration with him. At first, I gently deterred him, thinking I wasn’t good enough for him, but his reply was a poetic and romantic profession of love. And so our love story began. We were married in later 1582, and had three beautiful children, Susanna, Judith, and the late Hamnet. We started a life in London, where Will thrived as a playwright and poet. During our time in London, Will was accredited to writing 38 plays and 154 sonnets, many of these plays being performed at the Globe Theatre – where we spent much of our time together.
Will was a brilliant man. He was able to use the art of language to express emotions and ideas through creative mediums. Will was a great poet and playwright and because of his success, he seemed to belong to this world. But nevertheless, there was still a place in his life that was mine alone and it was in those quite moments of our love tucked away from the rest of the world that “I was his, and he was mine.” This world may come to know Will from his renowned and numerous works, but to me he will always be the young, charming Will I met on that beautiful May Day. He will always be the friend who I spent all my time with. He will always be the husband who showed me unconditional love. He will always be my one true love, my Romeo. You will forever be in my heart, Will, forever and always.
*Anything with “quotations” are quotes straight from the book.
Five years after William Shakespeare’s death, his best friend, Ben Johnson, visits Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, at their home. Ben tells Anne he is visiting to seek permission to publish and print William’s plays. Anne grants Ben her approval to make Shakespeare’s work public. In addition, Ben requests that Anne write a story telling the love of her and her late husband, William Shakespeare. Anne obliges and the result of the widow’s love story is called Shake-speares Sweetheart.
Our group has chosen to present this book in the form of a memorial service. The service will be a funeral dedicated to William Shakespeare. We have chosen a memorial service because April 23rd is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and the 454th anniversary of his birth. The funeral attenders will wear black like people do at today’s funerals. There will also be a framed picture of William Shakespeare displayed, candles, flowers, and music. We have also composed a eulogy that Anne Hathaway will read at Shakespeare’s memorial from her own point of view. The eulogy highlights Anne’s love for Shakespeare. Anne speaks highly of Shakespeare, confirming that their love was true. Anne explains their early life and kids, the begging of his play-writing career, and more. Anne specifically emphasizes the month of May due to its particular significance to Anne and to her relationship with her husband. Anne’s mother died on a “beautiful May day” as described in the Shake-speares Sweetheart. May is also the month Anne and Will’s journey of love began, after William visited Anne at her house asking her to attend a celebration with him. Anne glorifies William and his ability to use words to his advantage. In addition, we have constructed a PowerPoint of pictures from William’s life with background music. Shake-speares Sweetheart is a beautiful love story, and we hope our memorial service provides justice where it is due.
