ACTING: SHAKESPEAREAN FACTS

SHAKESPEAREAN FACTS 

Three of our favourites... 

1. HE WAS BORN AND DIED ON THE SAME DAY - 23rd APRIL!

Can this be true? Well... we'll never know. The truth is that birthdays weren't recorded back then. What we do know is that he was baptised on April 26th April and that baptisms took place within 3 days of the birth so... it's possible. 

There are mysterious rumours about his death! According to some, his friends travelled to Stratford-Upon-Avon to celebrate his birthday and Shakespeare snuffed it after a particularly big night out. Sadly, there's not much evidence to substantiate this. We do know that he re-wrote his will a month before he passed away so he may have been aware that he was dying. 

2. ANNE HATHAWAY (HIS WIFE) WAS OLDER THAN SHAKESPEARE

This might not seem the most unusual fact in the world but in Elizabethan England it was unusual for a man to marry an older woman! (If Hollywood movies are anything to go by then it's STILL a bit unusual!). The reason for this break with tradition might be found in the church baptist records... their first child was baptised just 6 months after the marriage! 

There's a lot of rumour about whether Shakespeare and Anne were happily married or not. Though Shakespeare spent much of his working life away from his family London his will shows that he still had great affection for his wife - he left her

“Item I gyve unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture”

Though the 'second best' best might not seem the nicest of gifts in fact the 'best bed' would probably have been kept downstairs, on show, so everyone could see how well the Shakespeare's were doing. It would also be the best reserved for guests. The second best bed was probably the bed Shakespeare and Anne shared. Ahhh....

3. HE DISAPPEARED FOR 7 YEARS

Shakespeare moved to London for his work as an actor and writer. But, Before he appears in London there are “7 missing years” of his career where he disappears from all records! There is speculation as to what he got up to here.

Theory one: he travelled around Europe! Many of Shakespeare's plays have a strong knowledge of the sea and of towns in Italy. Though this might seem like a rational explanation scholars generally think he got his knowledge through reading books and pamphlets from continental Europe. Likelihood? No chance.

Theory two: he was a school teacher! Imagine being taught by Shakespeare?! Specifically in a little village called Titchfield. Local historians point to the fact that Henry VI was married in Titchfield Abbey and so, if Shakespeare had been teaching at the local school, the local history may've been what inspired him to write his play Henry VI. Likelihood? Probably not.

Theory three: he was in hiding after poaching deer! Apparently he was caught poaching a deer on the estate of Sir Thomas Lucy (Charlecote park is well worth a visit next time you're in Stratford-Upon-Avon!). The story goes he fled to London to escape punishment for the crime. Likelihood? Possible.

Whatever happened, he turned up in London in 1592 and started having his plays produced so must've already been known as a playwright!

USEFUL LINKS:

TO READ...

Shakespeare Institute - When Was Shakespeare Born?

BBC News - Shakespeare and Titchfield

TO WATCH...

What was the "Second Best Bed"?

10 Things School Doesn't Teach You About SHAKESPEARE