William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of the Renaissance, had a complicated family life that may have influenced his writing. He was born in 1564 to Mary Arden and John Shakespeare, who worked as a glover and farmer. His family was not wealthy, and his father had legal troubles. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582, and they had three children, one of whom died at age 11. Shakespeare spent most of his adult life in London but returned to his family home in Stratford before his death. The influence of his family on his work remains a topic of debate.
William Shakespeare is considered by many to be the greatest playwright of the Renaissance. Although his most famous years were spent in London, Shakespeare’s family played an important part in his life and is believed by some to have influenced his writing. Little is known for certain about William Shakespeare’s life, but the few extant details of Shakespeare’s family suggest that they were a complicated group often left behind in the playwright’s busy city life.
William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on St. George’s Day, April 23, 23. He was the second child of Mary Arden and John Shakespeare to survive infancy. Shakespeare’s older sister Joan was born in 1564 and died sometime before 1558. A second sister, Margaret, died at the age of five months. Shakespeare had three younger brothers and two younger sisters, one of whom, Anne, died aged eight in 1569. His remaining siblings all survived to adulthood, with all but one predeceasing him.
Little is known about Mary Arden, Shakespeare’s mother. Mary was the daughter of Robert Arden, a wealthy landowner from the Warwickshire area. The family gave their name to the nearby Forest of Arden, which William Shakespeare would later incorporate into his play As You Like It.
Shakespeare’s family was not wealthy, despite his mother’s connections. John Shakespeare, William’s father, worked as a glover and farmer before becoming a council member or city councilor for the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. He held several village posts early in his career, but appears to have lost most of his money during the 1560s. Records show that John avoided going to church for fear of being arrested for unpaid debts. He was also accused of being involved in illegal wool smuggling and retired from public office in 1576.
Shakespeare’s family professed themselves Protestants, but in the 18th century a letter signed by John Shakespeare was discovered, swearing allegiance to the Catholic faith. It is generally accepted that it is accurate and not a fake. Had John Shakespeare been a true Catholic, it is probable that William Shakespeare would have received a secret Catholic upbringing along with his public Protestant learning. A long-standing struggle in the literary community rages over textual support for his belief in Shakespeare’s works. While religion clearly influenced his writing about him, the debate about what he believed and the extent to which Shakespeare’s family influenced him may never be resolved.
In November 1582, 18-year-old Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. This local peasant woman was pregnant with Shakespeare’s daughter and bore her in early 1583. Debate continues over the marriage, with some critics arguing that Shakespeare only married Anne because of her pregnancy. This belief is questioned, however, as betrothal was legally regarded as marriage at the time, and many couples did not officially marry until the woman became pregnant.
By 1585, Shakespeare’s family was complete, with the addition of his twin children Judith and Hamnet. While Judith and Shakespeare’s eldest daughter Susanna survived infancy, the boy Hamnet died aged 11 in 1596. Reports suggest that Shakespeare was extremely distressed, and some scholars suggest that the tragedy Hamlet, written shortly after , expressed Shakespeare’s feelings of despair after his young son’s death.
Some critics suggest that William did not get along with his wife and family, as he spent most of his adult life in London. However, after retiring from the stage in 1613, Shakespeare abruptly left his popular life and returned to his family home in Stratford. Anne Hathaway has requested to be buried next to her husband, which experts believe is an unlikely request if they were truly strangers. Scholarship may never fully understand the influence of Shakespeare’s family on his work, but it is clear that he retained an affection for them throughout his career and left a glittering life in London to die in the quiet home of Stratford of his family.
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