Chiron and Demetrius in "Titus Andronicus"(01 of10)
Open Image ModalChiron and Demetrius's murder is possibly the most creative of Shakespeare's deaths. When Titus learns that Chiron and Demetrius have raped and dismembered his daughter, he not only kills them but bakes them into a pie that he feeds to their mother, Tamora. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but in Titus's case it was best served hot out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Romeo and Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet"(02 of10)
Open Image ModalThe star-crossed lovers' tragic end comes when Romeo, upon hearing about Juliet's untimely (and untrue) death, acquires a bottle of poison, goes to the Capulet crypt and drinks the poison over Juliet's body. When Juliet wakes up to find lifeless Romeo laying beside her, she ends her own life by stabbing herself with his dagger.
Macbeth in "Macbeth"(03 of10)
Open Image ModalIn the second to last scene of this great tragedy, Macbeth fights Macduff on the battlefield, all the while claiming he is invincible because of the witches' prophecy. Cut to Macduff entering the next scene carrying Macbeth's head. Brutal. We can't say he didn't deserve it for his command of the murders of Macduff's wife and young children.
Cordelia in "King Lear"(04 of10)
Open Image ModalKing Lear and his daughter, Cordelia, are jailed after having lost the battle against Cornwall and Albany. Edmund orders they both be murdered and while King Lear survives, Cordelia is not so lucky. She is hanged in her cell.
Lavinia in "Titus Andronicus"(05 of10)
Open Image ModalThe most violent death in Shakespeare's most violent play, Lavinia's, is frightening. She is thrown into a pit and raped by Demetrius and Chiron, who proceed to cut off her tongue and hands in order to ensure she will not tell anyone what they have done. When Titus, her father, learns of the rape, he murders her by breaking her neck.
Desdemona in "Othello"(06 of10)
Open Image ModalThe newly-married Othello lets jealousy get the best of him when he wrongly accuses his bride of cheating on him with Michael Cassio. Othello comes into Desdemona's room at night and smothers her to death, only to find she had been loyal all along soon after he kills her. Riddled with guilt, Othello stabs himself with his dagger and dies next to Desdemona.
Hamlet's father in "Hamlet"(07 of10)
Open Image ModalWithin the first Act of the tragedy, Hamlet is confronted by the ghost of his deceased father. Hamlet's father tells Hamlet of his death, revealing that Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, murdered him by pouring poison into his ear while he slept. While this might seem like it's not particularly gruesome, the description Hamlet's father gives proves otherwise: "And a most instant tetter bark'd about,/ Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust,/ All my smooth body."
Duke of Clarence in "Richard III"(08 of10)
Open Image ModalAfter being arrested and thrown in jail by his brother, Richard, The Duke of Clarence is stabbed to death by henchmen that Richard has hired to kill him. To make sure he is actually dead, Clarence is drowned in a barrel of wine. Also in the barrel? Two severed hogs heads.
Aaron in "Titus Andronicus"(09 of10)
Open Image ModalThe secret Moorish lover of Lucius's wife, Tamora, Aaron is brutally killed by Lucius at the end of the play. Once he is crowned emperor, Lucius orders for his wife's lover to be buried chest deep, leaving him to die of starvation and thirst. Still, in his last moments of life, Aaron does not regret the wrong he has done to Lucius.
Cleopatra and her 2 hand maids in "Antony and Cleopatra"(10 of10)
Open Image ModalThough Cleopatra dies happily (according to Shakespeare), we think it'd be a pretty bad way to go. She and her maids kill themselves using poisonous asps. Add Antony's botched suicide attempt (sounds pretty painful) for additional blood and gore.