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| William Shakespeare. |
William Shakespeare is long deceased and did not leave behind a library or personal papers, so we have to guess at his life story from public documents. They tell us that his father, John, was a glove-maker and alderman.
He married Mary Arden, whose contribution to the family was a farm inherited from her father. I have visited Mary Arden's farm and when I was there it was staffed by a loyal retinue of people reenacting the roles of farm and village dwellers of Shakespeare's day. However, I have to assume that the farm is closed today because of the horrible coronavirus.
He married Mary Arden, whose contribution to the family was a farm inherited from her father. I have visited Mary Arden's farm and when I was there it was staffed by a loyal retinue of people reenacting the roles of farm and village dwellers of Shakespeare's day. However, I have to assume that the farm is closed today because of the horrible coronavirus.
John and Mary Shakespeare's son was baptized Gulielmus filius Johannes Shakespeare, William, son of John Shakespeare. The parents signed the baptismal register of the Church of the Holy Trinity on April 26. Babies were traditionally baptized on the first Sunday or holy feast day after their birth, but the Feast of St. Mark on April 25 was considered unlucky, so surely that's why April 26 was picked instead.
Shakespeare studied at the respected local grammar school, and married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and she was 26 (and pregnant). Their daughter, Susanna, was born six months later and twins Hamnet and Judith followed two years later. Son Hamnet died at age 11, and Shakespeare began to write his tragedy Hamlet soon after. Here is a short (really short) summary of the play by the daughter of a friend: https://twitter.com/petridishes/status/1253385002303225857
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