Shakespeare Teacher The art of reading hidden text in Shakespeare works Part 1 Finger counting The image above shows the famous Shakespeare effigy. It's part of the monument that's housed in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford upon Avon . The designer/s saw fit to show the effigy in an academic gown. Shakespeare at University? Such gowns were often worn by preachers and schoolmasters. Perhaps there’s something to learn here The above photo was taken at eye level with the effigy. The monument is set high on the north wall, behind which was originally a charnel house: a place to store bones. The monument overlooks the five so-called "family graves". Because of the height of the monument, most observers at ground level might not see the thumbs. ...