Question

In the last line of the poem “On Shakespeare,” what does Milton mean when he writes that kings would "wish to die"?

Answer 1

In the last line of the poem “On Shakespeare,” what does Milton mean when he writes that kings would "wish to die"?

The suggestion is that Shakespeare's readers have been overcome with awe and wonder, in order for that they are spellbound and stand still, so that they resemble marble statues. This is, of course, made up praise, so that Milton has been taking poetic license to invent a poetic vanity.

Answer 2

John Milton praises Shakespeare’s writing style and literary works through the poem “On Shakespeare.” He feels that Shakespeare’s invaluable works have created a place in readers’ hearts, and his fame and glory increase with the rise in the number of his readers. He also states that readers' immense love of Shakespeare's work has made those readers Shakespeare’s monument (“tomb”):

Dost make us Marble with too much conceaving

And so Sepulcher'd in such pomp dost lie,

That Kings for such a Tomb would wish to die.

Milton suggests that even kings would wish for such a monument from their subjects and would rather reside in their hearts than be forgotten. (PLATO)