While literary elites have long asserted that passages from Shakespearean scripts subliminally suggest William Shakespeare was composing under the influence of a substance, the contention was only backed by science recently when antique pipes from the writer's garden were discovered to contain traces of cannabis.
Residue from fragments of early 17th century earthenware uncovered from the playwright's garden and elsewhere in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, were examined in Pretoria, South Africa, reported Time.
Twenty-four relics of clay pipes from Shakespeare's birthplace and the University of Witwatersrand underwent gas chromatography mass spectrometry, reported Today. The advanced forensic technique revealed eight samples were positive of cannabis, four of which were taken from the "Romeo and Juliet" writer's estate. There were also traces of cocaine in two pipes, but neither of them came from the poet's garden, reported Bloomberg.
The South African research team was led by anthropologist Francis Thackeray of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. The study was published in the South African Journal of Science.
Shakespearean scholars were unsurprised by the results of the study. Shakespearean writings, often tales of desperation, have long been interpreted to contain passages pertaining to substance use. The intensity in Shakespearean writings exudes feelings experienced most likely when under the influence of chemicals.
In "Sonnet 76," Shakespeare mentioned an "invention in a noted weed." In this line, Shakespeare calls his writings a product of his experience with weed, chemical scientists claim.
And "King Lear," a story about the insane king, vividly describes the process of losing one's mind.
The study encourages literary analysts and chemical scientists to come together and work toward a deeper understanding of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
