| William Shamspeare |
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| William Shamspeare |
| Behold, you have only to rearrange the letters of my name to see that 'me's a seraph'! An angel, indeed! |
William Shamspeare is a fancily-dressed man who, despite his appearance, is actually a criminal, unemployed and very poor. He was first seen having a dispute with a mysterious man near the flats owned by the Garridebs, and he became the surviving victim in an incident the day after.
Time in prison[]
At some point, William Shamspeare was arrested and held in Manchester's Strangeways Prison. During this time, he looked after a fellow inmate named Selden, who was to receive the death penalty but had a terminal illness. Wanting to reward his loyalty, Selden told Shamspeare that he had hidden a treasure in his old flat on the second floor of John Garrideb's complex and gave him the key to the treasure. When Shamspeare was released from prison, he went to the complex but found that the flat was already occupied by Duncan Ross. Shamspeare, desperate to obtain the treasure, settled in the flat on the first floor.
His flat
While living in the flat, Shamspeare developed a way to defraud the Altamont Gas Company by stealing gas. He would carve a two centimeter diameter depression in a bar of soap, pour a liquid in it, and set it by the window to freeze. He then placed the frozen discs, which were the same size and shape as a three pence coin, into the meter to get gas. Once the heat from the meter melted the disc, the liquid would spill out through a hole in the coin compartment. He also hid the key Selden gave him in a small tin box under the floorboard along with newspapers about him.
Shamspeare plotted to scare Ross into leaving his flat by blowing into the gas pipe in his room, which would put out the fire in Ross's gas stove and start a gas leak. However, Ross died of gasoline-induced asphyxiation instead, leading people to believe the flat was cursed and that Ross's death was an accident. Shamspeare could not enter the flat, however, because of the investigation of Ross's death. Garrideb would not let him move into Ross's flat either, for he, being unemployed, was behind on his rent by about three months. By the time the investigation was done, Soseki Natsume had already moved into the flat. Shamspeare then became acquainted with Natsume, frequently debating with him on topics such as Shakespeare, though he secretly also attempted to drive out Natsume in the same way he had attempted to drive out Ross.
A fiancée's revenge[]
- Main article: The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro
Unbeknownst to Shamspeare, Ross's fiancée, Olive Green, grew suspicious of Shamspeare after hearing Natsume talk about his gas problems. Green sent an anonymous letter to Shamspeare asking to meet her at a nearby pub, The Slug and Salad, in order to lure him out of his bedroom. He followed the instructions to the letter, which allowed Green ample time to sneak into his room and put the strychnine on the gas lamp line and steal Selden's key from his tin box. Not long after, she was accidentally stabbed by Joan Garrideb, and Shamspeare met with no one at the pub. An investigation commenced, with Natsume being the prime suspect, and the police barred Shamspeare from entering Natsume's flat. Therefore, Shamspeare had to hold off from blowing into the gas pipes until the investigation subsided. Once it did, however, Herlock Sholmes then locked himself in the flat to read Natsume's books.
Shamspeare bickering with Metermann.
During the investigation of Green's stabbing, Shamspeare bickered with Adron B. Metermann, who was sent by his boss's wife, Quinby Altamont, regarding Shamspeare's gas fraud. Shamspeare also met Natsume's legal team, defense lawyer Ryunosuke Naruhodo and legal assistant Susato Mikotoba, though he would only reveal to them that he was Natsume's fellow lodger, and left without even properly introducing himself.
The truth of the poisoning[]
Unconscious from strychnine poisoning
- Main article: The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro
Following the conclusion of the trial regarding the stabbing on Briar Road, Shamspeare had another literary debate with Natsume. The two then had a jujitsu battle with Shamspeare dressed as Romeo and Natsume dressed as Juliet, which Natsume won. After Natsume returned to his flat, Shamspeare attempted to once again blow into the gas pipe to oust Natsume, using the tea Natsume had given him to produce his counterfeit coins for his gas meter. However, he soon fell victim to the strychnine Green had applied to the pipe's mouth four days earlier, falling into a coma.
Shamspeare broken
He was later found in his comatose state when Natsume broke his door open, and though initially believed to be dead, after it was learned that he survived his poisoning, he was taken to St. Bartholomew Hospital for further treatment. Thinking Natsume responsible for his poisoning by way of his tea, while also plotting to get the treasure in his room, Shamspeare accused Natsume of attempted murder. However, Naruhodo soon exposed his fraudulent activities on the first day, and later exposed his culpability in Ross's death during the second day. After Shamspeare was forced to confess to everything he had done, Green reminded him that he still deserved punishment for his crimes, and he was soon arrested.
Herlock Sholmes later revealed Selden's stolen treasure to be a jewel-studded dog collar; though it appeared unusual at the time, its relevance would later become known.
Personality[]
| William Shamspeare |
| Out, out, brief candle! Life is but a walking shadow... A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage... and then is heard no more. |
Mugshot
Despite his destitute nature, William Shamspeare wore flashy pink clothing that looked remarkably out of place when compared to those around him. Being a devoted fan of William Shakespeare, he seemed to have a very high sense of self and frequently referenced the playwright in his speech, as evidenced by his calling others "Horatio" and reciting the "sound and fury" soliloquy after being awakened from his poisoning. Underneath his polite exterior was a mad man of a criminal, however. Shamspeare acted very belligerently towards people, including Metermann, Natsume, and Green. Although he never harbored any genuine murderous intentions, he was willing to go with his same original plan with Duncan Ross to get rid of Natsume despite knowing what happened the first time. However, he has shown remorse for accidentally killing Ross.
Though William appears to be rather out-of-touch with the people around him, he showed care and interest in Selden once he learned he was ill. After Selden's death, he cried for him, demonstrating that he cared for him.
His favorite foods were simple soaps and salads, and he called them dishes of nature. He usually ate only one meal a day.
Name[]
- The names of Shamspeare and Adron B. Metermann are not given during The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures. However, the title of "Mysterious Man A" is given to Shamspeare in the game's artbook, while Metermann is referred to as "Mysterious Man B".[1]
- His Japanese surname comes from a Japanese word meaning "crook" (ペテン師, petenshi), which hints at his criminal background.
- It also contains the word meaning "angel" (天使, tenshi). He used this fact to try to convince the jurors that he was a good person.
- The corresponding line in the English localization is the introductory quote in this article.
- It also contains the word meaning "angel" (天使, tenshi). He used this fact to try to convince the jurors that he was a good person.
- "William" is a reference to William Shakespeare, whom he often quotes.
- His English localized surname is play on Shakespeare and the word "sham", which means "false", hinting at his background.
Development[]
Shamspeare has curled platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. He wears a fuchsia and purple striped suit with puffy sleeves and shorts, a brown and gold waistcoat with a gold chain, white tights, a fuchsia and purple hat with a sun pin with a blue and orange ribbon, and an indigo cape. He has bells attached to the end of the jacket that make a jingling sound whenever he moves. He wears a blue rhombus pin, red rectangle pin, and green circle pin on the right side, and a green rectangle pin, a red rhombus pin, and a blue circle pin on the left side, which explodes into confetti. He wears a pearl necklace with gold rectangles, a belt with a green gem, and fuchsia shoes with a purple ribbon. He is usually seen carrying a gold staff with a red top.
- Shamspeare wears a Shakespeare-inspired costume that initially appears glamorous but becomes more pretentious, strange, and out-of-place upon closer inspection. [2]
- Shamspeare was the first character to have their animations created via motion capture, and his movements were meant to be reminiscent of avant-garde choreography such as in The Rite of Spring ballet.[3]
- His concept and design are based on Birdly from the Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney crossover.[3]
- He and Olive Green are the first and second culprits who debut in a game prior to the one in which they are caught.
- He and Adron B. Metermann are the only characters to remain labelled as "???" for the entirety of their debut game.
References[]
- ↑ riku7se. "So I just got the DGS artbook in today" "Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Liveblog and Info" tumblr. Retrieved on 2016-12-08.
- ↑ William Shamspeare – The jumping off point of Shamspeare's design was one simple word: Shakespeare. He looks glamorous at first, but the closer you look, the more pretentious his strange stage costume seems. It certainly feels like a period costume, but it soon becomes apparent just how out of place it is, even in Victorian times. The thin veneer of his flashy clothes seems to suggest wealth, but he's actually as poor as they come. I knew from beginning that I wanted those gaudy, oversized gems to come flying off during his final breakdown so I liberally applied them all over his costume. Along the bottom of his jacket, I'd attached a number of bells so that he'd make a jingling sound whenever he moved. — The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, Special Contents, Gallery, Portraits, From the Vaults - 1, Shamspeare, Altamont & Metermann
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ash (2020-02-08). Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 - A Romantic Adventure Of Reminiscence With The Development Staff Vol. 3 (2017). Retrieved on 2020-08-07.