Anne Hathaway
Notes and Quotes
‘The bed we loved in was a spinning
world’
Anne Hathaway has been
remembered as the wife that
Shakespeare didn’t love as he left her
his ‘next best bed’ (which historians
have interpreted as a slight).
However, here she takes ownership
of that phrase and instead tells calls it
‘the bed we loved in’. This completely
changes the way we view the bed and
demonstrates that history had the
wrong interpretation of Shakespeare’s
love for her.
‘forests, castles, torchlight, clifftops’
This list of places suggests that their
lovemaking was adventurous. The
places are important as they are
places in Shakespeare’s plays (‘forests’
= As You Like It/A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, ‘castles’ = Hamlet etc.) This
could suggest that his wife and the
love they shared was the inspiration
for many of his work. She was his
muse.
‘seas/where we would dive for pearls’ Pearls are a beautiful creation and
something highly sought after – they
take a long time to grow and develop,
but once they are complete, they are
very strong. Word choice of ‘dive’
could suggest that the love is
immersive. This could be comparable
to the love the two share. It also has a
sexual connotation.
‘my lover’s words/were shooting stars This is a complex metaphor which
which fell to earth as kisses/on these
firstly compares Shakespeare’s words
lips’
to a shooting star. This could suggest
that what he said was romantic and
‘my body now a softer rhyme/ to his’
full of hopes and wishes – or that the
words themselves were dramatic and
beautiful. She then goes on to say that
the shooting stars/words then
become kisses. This suggests that his
words are so intense and loving that
they feel physical.
Word choice of ‘softer’ plays into the
stereotype of women being softer/
‘Rhyme’ is a literary allusion. When
something rhymes, it sounds pleasant
and the words seem to ‘fit’ together
as they are similar. Here, Hathaway
suggests that her and Shakespeare
(particularly their bodies) are like
rhyming words and work together
well.
‘his touch/a verb dancing in the centre A continuation of the literary allusions
of a noun’
from before in this obvious sexual
metaphor. Word choice of ‘dancing’
highlights the happiness and
fulfilment that both received from the
sensual love in their relationship.
‘some night I dreamed he’d written
Here, Hathaway suggests that
me, the bed/ a page beneath his
Shakespeare dreamed her up – that
writer’s hands’
he created her as he would a
character. The idea that they work so
well together in a relationship that he
created her perfectly for him. There is
a suggestion here of Hathaway being a
weak and passive character who feels
she has been created by her husband.
‘Romance/ and drama played by
List of senses highlights that the love
touch, by scent, by taste’
and passion they share is something
real and tangible – and something
that can be experienced in a number
of different ways.
‘in the other bed, the best, our guests She then goes on to compare the
dozed on,/dribbling their prose’
exciting and amorous activities that go
‘my living laughing love’
‘I hold him in the casket of my
widow’s head/as he held me upon
on in the bed she shares with
Shakespeare (in the ‘next best bed’)
with the activities that happen in their
‘best’ bed. She is rather scathing at
this point, suggesting that her guests
simply slept or were ‘dribbling their
prose’. Word choice of ‘dribbling’ is
suggestive of a baby and could
suggest a lack of real meaning or
intention. It also arguably gives an
unappealing (and unattractive) image
of someone drooling in their sleep.
The fact that they speak ‘prose’ (an
everyday type of literature – quite
boring) whilst Shakespeare and
Hathaway live a ‘drama’ (a much more
exciting type of writing) again
highlights how fulfilling she finds their
relationship – particularly when she
compares it to the relationship of
others. It also has an allusion to
history and the presumption that
historians made about Shakespeare’s
will. Here, Hathaway shows in no
uncertain terms that the ‘best bed’
held no emotional significance for her
and we are made totally aware that
the gift of the ‘next best bed’ was a
gift of love and certainly not one out
of spite.
Alliterative ‘l’ draws attention to all
three words which demonstrate the
true nature of their love. It highlights
that their love is characterised by life
and fun. The alliteration slows the
pace of the poem and is an effective
way to introduce the final reflective
couplet.
This final rhyming couplet is an
emotional one. Here, we have a real
that next best bed’
outpouring of emotion from
Hathaway as she tells us that all of this
she must remember about him as he
is now dead. We feel a real sense of
loss from the character at this point.
She describes her memory as ‘the
casket of my widow’s head’ – a much
more fitting tribute to a man than an
urn or a memorial. The word choice of
‘hold him’ connotes tenderness and
affection. He continues to live on in
her memory.
She then compares her tender love
and affectionate memories of him to
the way he held her when they lay
together in bed. The repetition of the
word ‘held’ reminds us of the
tenderness and affection that they
shared in life. The final line of the
poem reminds us of the historical
interpretation of their love once more
and we are shown again that it is
entirely false.