Shakespeare-17th Century Party Animal?

[devance]

Drug Residue Found in Pipes at Shakespeare's Home.

Marijuana, cocaine, chemical with hallucinogenic properties, and tobacco.

link

http://www.crimelynx.com/pipes.html

[Torsten]

March 2, 2001

Drug Residue Found in Pipes at Shakespeare's Home

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) -- Several 17th-century clay pipes found on the site of William Shakespeare's home may have been used to smoke marijuana, scientists reported Thursday.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon in England allowed South African researchers to analyze 24 pipe fragments in Pretoria.

Though marijuana degrades over time, eight of those pipe fragments showed signs suggestive of marijuana, the scientists said. Two of the pipe samples tested also showed evidence of cocaine.

Others showed traces of tobacco, camphor and a chemical with hallucinogenic properties, the study said.

"We do not claim that any of the pipes belonged to Shakespeare himself. However, we do know that some of the pipes come from the area in which he lived, and they date to the 17th century," said Francis Thackeray of the Transvaal Museum, one of the researchers.

Georgianna Ziegler, head of reference for the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, said scholars had no proof of narcotics use by Shakespeare, who lived from 1564 to 1616.

"I'm not saying that Shakespeare would never have drunk, or eaten, or smoked marijuana, because it was used as a medical remedy at the time. But we have no evidence that he ever used it for pleasure," she said.

John Henry, toxicologist and professor at London's Imperial College of Medicine, who was not affiliated with the study, said it was possible that coca leaves ? which contain a small amount of cocaine ? "were smoked by people in Britain in the 17th century."

Cocaine itself did not come to Britain until about 1900, but coca leaves, chewed by many Incas in the 1500s, were transported to Europe in the 17th century by Spanish explorers.

The results of the study are published in the South African Journal of Science.

Copyright © 2001. Courtroom Television Network LLC. All rights reserved.

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[nabraxas]

this is another one ov those things that wont go away. i read that article last year sometime, but it also had some lines from shake's sonnets in praise ov an unnamed 'inspirational' plant.

in many ov shake's(if he was the guy who wrote them) plays herbalists or poisoners are portrayed as vaguely supernatural or on another plain(it is a clown who brings cleopatra the poison snake; & while she is making impassioned speeches before suiciding, his lines are gibberish like "i wish you the joy of the worm". similarly, following the psychology ov the time, nature is very often regarded as a realm apart from human life, filled w/supernatural beings- a midsummer nights dream, being a good example.

[devance]

I found it interesting though that the hallucenogen was myristicin {nutmeg] and the coca leaf from raided spanish ships. No expert, but I would assume both imported herbs, meaning only for thr rich or connected. A playright is always welcomed to the partys of the wealthy where he could make connections to some fine smoke which he did so much of that two paintings show a tobacco? stain on his lip from pipe smoking.

I think the presence of what must have been a expensive habit shows a cash and and connection situation that he might just have been the smoker of the pipes and the playright.