8-5Hathaway



//Prepared by Austin R.// **
 * Shakespeare’s Wife

There is very little documentation about the wife of William Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway. It has been thought that she was born in 1556, since her gravestone was sent to the year 1623 and she died at age sixty-seven. She was thought to be eight years older than Shakespeare (Shakespeare was born in 1564). Eldest of eight children, three from Richard Hathaway’s (Anne’s father) first wife, and five from his second wife, Joan. They lived with her family in a big farmhouse, called Hewland Farm in Shottery, only one mile from where William Shakespeare was living in Strarford. She never attended any school, which was common for girls at that time, and she was illiterate. Instead, she was taught to “govern” or run a household and become skilled in all of the housewife’s duties. It is said that Anne was pregnant prior to their marriage in the year 1582 in the town of Temple, Grafton. After the wedding, William and Anne moved in with William’s parents, which was the custom of the time. In May of 1583, their daughter, Susanna, was born. Two years later, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. William worked for his father and did other jobs; then he left Stratford for London sometime between 1585 and 1582.

Anne and the children never moved to London with William. Her husband, as we know, became increasingly successful. His success was darkened when Hamnet died at age eleven, probably of the plague. The time that Shakespeare spent with Anne would have been minimal. Even though William didn’t live with his family, he still provided them with all the necessities of life. In May of 1597, Shakespeare bought Anne //New Place//, the second largest house in Stratford. He continued to add to his land holdings, which made Anne a very prestigious member of the community; they became the wealthiest family in Stratford. Shakespeare finally retires in 1610 and returns to Stratford to spend time with Anne and the family. In April of 1616, William Shakespeare died of unsure causes (there is no evidence to when or how William Shakespeare died). The last years of Anne’s life were spent living as a widow at New Place. She saw the birth of three grandchildren, one of whom was named Shakspeare Quincy in honor of William. Anne Hathaway finally died in 1623 at the age of sixty-seven. Her funeral was on august 6, 1623 and she was buried right next to William in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.


 * Works Cited**:

N.A., N.A.. "Anne Hathaway Biography." __William Shakespeare Site-Map__. 2005. 29 Mar 2009 < http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-anne-hathaway.html>.