Who said what on their deathbed

Q. What makes last words famous
A. Two factors make final utterances famous: the person has been sufficiently well known in life for there to be general interest in his or her parting words or the words themselves are particularly noteworthy. Usually it's a combination of the two with an emphasis on the former. The famous are more likely to have their words broadcast.

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Q. Are they ever misrepresented
A. Horatio Nelson's last words are some of the most celebrated. 'Kiss me Hardy' with which he�is widely credited is not what he actually said. Nor sadly was it the somewhat exotic 'Kismet'. In fact Nelson's last words were what you might expect of a loyal servant of the Royal Navy: 'Thank God I have done my duty'.

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Q. Who said what
A. Many figures from history have shown how to remain dignified and polite - and sometimes witty - to the last. Here are a few examples:

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• Marie-Antoinette 'Pardonnez-moi, monsieur.' ('Pardon me, sir.') Marie Antoinette was the wife of King Louis XVI. She was convicted of treason following the French Revolution and sentenced to death by beheading. As she approached the guillotine, she accidentally stepped on the foot of her executioner, thus . . .
• Nancy Astor 'Am I dying or is this my birthday ' Lady Astor was the first woman member of Parliament. Noted for her biting wit, she occasionally got into verbal spats with Winston Churchill. She spoke her last words when, on her deathbed, she momentarily awoke to find herself surrounded by her entire family.
• Oscar Wilde 'I am dying as I have lived - beyond my means.'

The list goes on. If you want to see more of the dying words of the great and the good, try:

http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/6537/

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And
A. Characters in literature and drama are often well served in their final moments by their authors. Many would kill to have the chance to die uttering such immortal lines as some of Shakespeare's protagonists: 'Thus with a kiss I die' (Romeo), 'The rest is silence' (Hamlet) or 'Damned be he that first cry "Hold, enough!"' (Macbeth), for example.� Dignified, profound and defiant. Sherlock Holmes's last words are written in a letter to Dr Watson, and they encapsulate the sang froid of the character, though they do reveal (almost) a hint of emotion behind the Victorian manliness: 'I fear that it is at a cost which will give pain to my friends, and especially, my dear Watson, to you . . . I made every disposition of my property before leaving England and handed it to my brother Mycroft. Pray give my greetings to Mrs. Watson, and believe me to be, my dear fellow, Very sincerely yours, Sherlock Holmes.' That's the last that was ever heard from him (from the pen of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, at any rate).

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Q. What about epitaphs
A. Some people have the good sense to come up with an epitaph beforehand that will serve as a final gift to the world. It gives the opportunity to influence how they wish to be remembered without having to come up with anything under the trying circumstances of being in extremis.

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From the windswept:

• Virginia Woolf 'Against you I will fling myself, unvanquished and unyielding, O Death!'

to the prescient:

• Hank Williams
  'Thank you for all the love you gave me,
  There could be no one stronger.
  Thank you for the many beautiful songs,
  They will live long and longer.'

and those held in reserve until the time comes:

• Spike Milligan 'I told you I was ill.'

Q. A famous last word
A. Karl Marx, cantankerous to the last, said to those waiting upon him in his final hours: 'Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough.'

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To find out more about Phrases & Sayings click here

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By Simon Smith