Shakespeare's will

William Shakespeare's last will and testament was signed on 25 March 1616, just under a month before his death.^[a] The document has been studied for details of his personal life, for his opinions, and for his attitudes towards his two daughters, Susanna and Judith, and their respective husbands, John Hall and Thomas Quiney. The best-known passage of the will is the bequest to the wife of his "second best bed". The significance of this phrase is not certain.

The content of the will has also been studied for clues about Shakespeare's religious beliefs, his health, and his relationship to his colleagues in the London theatre-world.^[b]
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