Puzzle Book - The Shakespeare Murder Mystery

Please note that this is a digital product. Your puzzle book is delivered as a PDF file which you can download. No physical product is delivered.

Overview

April 23rd 1616. And William Shakespeare's death has been brought about by one of his own characters! But which one? It is your task to discover which character killed the playwright? Which of William's own methods of murder they used? In which Shakespearean location the crime took place? And what was the motive for the crime? "The Shakespeare Murder Mystery" is a level 3 difficulty book - a merrymurder super challenge! It is ideal for a joint family challenge.

Background

To sleep, perchance to Dream; Aye, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come…

April 23rd 1616. William Shakespeare's last night on earth. A night of tortuous dreams and fevered imaginations. For as he wanders in the locations created by his great imagination, the ghostly spectres of numerous of his characters come to challenge, reproach and threaten him. Brandishing the weapons and methods of death he has used in his plays. Demanding to know why their happiness was so brief, their lives so full of tragedy, and their ends so bitter.

But in Shakespeare's vibrant, nightmarish dream, one of those characters does more than reproach him. They brandish their weapon and actually use it! Slaughtering their creator and avenging themselves for perceived wrongs. And Shakespeare's brilliant imagination portrays this act in such reality that his heart cannot take the shock. It ceases to beat. Frozen by the terror of one of his own character's murderous inclinations. Yes, Shakespeare's death is brought about by one of his own imaginative creations!

It is your task to find out:

• Which of the playwright's characters is responsible for his death.
• Which method of murder they used.
• In which Shakespearean location they committed the assault.
• What the motive for the crime was.

The Suspects, Murder Methods and Locations

Suspects

• Antony - Roman General
• Cleopatra - Queen of Egypt
• Hamlet - Prince of Denmark
• Julius Caesar - Roman Statesman
• King Lear - King of ancient Britain
• Macbeth - Scottish Nobleman
• Othello - Venetian General
• Richard III - King of England
• Romeo - Son of Montague
• Juliet - Daughter of Capulet
• Shylock - Jewish Moneylender
• Titus Andronicus - Roman General

Murder Methods

• Apothecary's Poison
• Bare Bodkin
• Butcher's Knife
• Earful of Henbane
• Italian Dagger
• Poisoned Chalice
• Poisoned Rapier
• Roman Sword
• Scottish Claymore
• Smothering Pillow

Locations

• Achilles' Tent
• Agincourt Battlefield
• Baptista's House
• Birnam Wood
• Fair Verona
• Forum of Rome
• Orsino's Palace
• The Blasted Heath
• The Bloody Tower
• The Forest of Arden

The Shakespeare Themed Puzzles

1. My salad days
2. When shall we three meet again
3. Cleopatra's snakes & ladders puzzle
4. All that glisters is not gold
5. Othello's jealousy puzzle
6. Exit - pursued by a bear
7. Green eyed monster
8. Fair is foul and foul is fair
9. It was Greek to me
10. Richard III's crown of England puzzle
11. Friends, Romans, Countrymen...
12. Hamlet's soliloquy puzzle
13. A pair of star crossed lovers
14. Macbeth's "Ghost at the Banquet"
15. Double, double, toil and trouble
16. Titus Andronicus' blood crossword
17. Lord what fools these mortals be
18. The play's the thing
19. Antony's pyramid puzzle
20. Off with his head
21. There is a tide...
22. Shylock's Merchant of Venice puzzle
23. Though this be madness...
24. Julius Caesar's Roman numerals
25. The game's afoot
26. A rhapsody of words
27. Juliet's Verona maze
28. A horse, a horse...
29. A rose by any other name...
30. Throw physic to the dogs
31. The lady doth protest too much
32. To be or not to be
33. Romeo's love search
34. Beware the Ides of March
35. Pound of flesh
36. King Lear's kingdom split

Solving the puzzles will allow the investigator to eliminate suspects, murder methods and locations until only the guilty items remain.

However the twelve underlined puzzles are the suspects' own personal puzzles. The investigator will need to be on their guard, as the character who actually murdered Shakespeare will be deliberately providing a puzzle where the solution provides misinformation. After all, they don't want to be caught!

There are also two red herring puzzles lurking within the book. The information provided by these puzzles cannot be trusted. Other puzzles will reveal which these two puzzles are.

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