8-1LostYears

//Answer Prepared by//: Billy L Shakespeare’s life history has a 7-year gap during the years 1585 to 1592. This time period is referred to as the “Lost Years.” The record is blank from the date that his twins were christened to seven years later in London, when fellow writer, Robert Green, attacked Shakespeare (Thrasher 20). There are as many different opinions on how Shakespeare spent the “lost years” as there are Shakespeare scholars. For example, various researchers have suggested that Shakespeare worked as a teacher, sailor, soldier, lawyer’s assistant, or travelled to northern Italy (Nettleton 34).

Each of these researchers point to certain facts in an effort to attempt to support their theory. One researcher argues that since Roman Catholics were persecuted in Elizabethan England, a strong argument can be made that the Catholic Shakespeare spent the “lost years” as an assistant teacher to a Lancashire household (Nettleton 34). Another argues that since many of Shakespeare’s plays take place in Italy, Shakespeare must have lived in Italy because the plays exhibit such great knowledge of Italy (Ackroyd). Others contend that Shakespeare was a very practical person, so it seems unlikely that he would abandon his family (Levi). Furthermore, there is no evidence that Shakespeare was fleeing a bad or forced marriage (Levi). Still others argue that given Shakespeare’s extraordinary wisdom coupled with the fact that he had no formal education beyond grammar school, he must have been in the army, worked in a lawyer’s office or been at sea (Thrasher 20). All these theories, however, are speculation and conjecture that does not stand up to rigorous examination.

The most probable explanation is that Shakespeare spent the “Lost Years” apprenticing with an acting company in London. Shakespeare was probably in London long before 1592, because he had already made his mark as a playwright (Downer 11). He had already completed “War of the Roses” and “The Two Gentleman of Verona.” Furthermore, there were plenty of acting opportunities in London at that time. Between 1583 and 1586, eight groups of players performed in Stratford (Ackroyd 101). Acting companies always needed men, and seeing Shakespeare’s intelligence and quick wit, one of these acting companies may have hired him as an apprentice (Thrasher 22). In addition, it is likely that Shakespeare could have made more money as a player than as a provincial lawyer’s clerk (Nettleton 34). Because Shakespeare was a family man, this was likely an important consideration. While theories abound, we will probably never know for sure what Shakespeare was doing during the “Lost Years.

Works Cited: Ackroyd, Peter. Shakespeare The Biography. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2005

Leslie Dunton-Downer and Alan Riding. Essential Shakespeare Handbook. New York, New York: DKPublishing, 2004.

Levi, Peter. The Life and Times of William Shakespeare. New York: Henry Holt and Company Inc., 1988.

Nettleton, Pamela Hill. William Shakespeare Playwright and Poet. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point

Books, 2005.

Thrasher, Thomas. The Importance of William Shakespeare. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 1999.