Monuments of William Shakespeare
- A life-size marble statue of Shakespeare has rested at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey since 1741, 124 years after his death. His elbow rests casually on a pile of books with no titles. With his left hand, he points to a scroll which has an inscription from "The Tempest." On the pedestal are the carved heads of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry V and Richard III. Shakespeare's birth and death dates and burial place are recent additions to the bottom of the display.
- A statue of William Shakespeare has resided in Central Park in New York City since the 300th anniversary of his birth. The sculptor was John Quincy Adams Ward. Several other literary monuments soon occupied the same area of the park which has come to be known as Literary Walk. A performance of "Julius Caesar" was part of the fund-raising campaign, with an official unveiling in 1872.
- The Gower Memorial lies in Shakespeare's home village of Stratford-upon-Avon. Lord Ronald Sutherland Gower presented the monument to the village as a gift in 1888. Shakespeare sits comfortably as the centerpiece. Surrounding him are four of his most famous characters: Lady Macbeth, Hamlet, Falstaff and Prince Hal. Each character represents a prominent theme in Shakespeare's drama. Lady Macbeth is tragedy, Hamlet is philosophy, Falstaff stands for comedy and Prince Hal represents history.
- Sculptor William Ordway Partridge designed the Shakespeare monument in Chicago's Lincoln Park. It has been at its current location since 1894. The casting of the bronze that would become the statue actually took place in Paris. Wealthy Chicagoan Samuel Johnston bequeathed the money to finance the sculpture. The statue portrays Shakespeare reclining and in period clothing. A restoration project updated in 1989 at a cost of $43,000.
