San Marino · 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare

Issue date22 Sept 2016

Total mintage82,400

EU maximum85,000

Editions2

Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

Inscription1616-2016 / San Marino / MB / William Shakespeare / R

DesignerMatt Bonaccorsi

mintInstituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, Roma

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. The design features a portrait of the poet, surrounded by his name, the years “1616–2016” and the inscription “San Marino”.

The design

The design depicts a portrait of the poet. On the right, the years “1616-2016” and the name of the issuing country “San Marino” can be read in a semicircle. The artist’s initials “MB” are located at the bottom right. On the left, the inscription “William Shakespeare” is arranged in a semicircle; the mint mark “R” is at the bottom left. The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer coin ring.

Background on the topic

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Few reliable details are known about his youth and education. By the late 1580s at the latest, he was living in London, where he worked as an actor, playwright and shareholder in a theatre company. The company initially performed under the name Lord Chamberlain’s Men and, after James I (Jakob I) ascended the throne, was supported by the king as King’s Men.

Shakespeare’s work falls within the reigns of Elizabeth I (Elisabeth I) and James I (Jakob I). At that time, public theatre developed into a widespread form of urban entertainment. His plays were performed, among other places, at the Globe Theatre, in which he held a financial interest. He wrote comedies, history plays and tragedies. His best-known works include Romeo and Juliet (Romeo und Julia), Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear (König Lear) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ein Sommernachtstraum). He also wrote narrative poems and a collection of 154 sonnets.

The plays address, among other subjects, political rule, family conflicts, love, jealousy, identity and the use of language. Numerous expressions and characters from them became part of English-speaking culture. After Shakespeare’s death, two former fellow actors published a collection of his plays in 1623 known as the First Folio. Without this edition, several plays would probably not have survived.

The anniversary was also marked outside the United Kingdom in 2016 with theatre performances, exhibitions and academic events. Shakespeare is not received solely as an English author: his works have been translated into many languages, adapted extensively and form part of the repertoire of European theatres. There is no particular biographical connection to San Marino. Rather, the issue reflects the small state’s practice of commemorating on its coins people and anniversaries of international cultural significance.