8-4ChildrensFamilies

What became of Shakespeare family and their families? //Answered prepared by: Emily W//

William Shakespeare was a poetic, mysterious, and compelling man. He created some of the most heart wrenching plays ever written. With all the time he spent in London he never got to see his family. He constantly traveled from place to place, putting on astonishing shows for those who watched. We, as the readers and historians don’t know much about what happened at home with his family, and he also knew very little.

William Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway. Not to be mistaken with Anne Hathaway the actress. When they married, Anne was already pregnant with her first child. In May of 1583, around six months after the wedding, Susanna was born. She was then baptized in Stratford Parish Church. Where two years later, her younger brother Hamnet, and his twin sister Judith, would be baptized as well. Judith and Hamnet were named after close friends of their parents. I personally think Hamnet had a greater effect than his other family members on Shakespeare’s life, because __Hamlet__  is one of Shakespeare’s famous plays, and Hamlet is close to Hamnet’s name. As always, the first qualifies for the family’s rights. Susanna, had the right of some privileges you could say, but she broke a major one. One year, when she was around the age of twenty, she didn’t attend the Easter Church in Stratford. She was later named “recusant” for not going to church, which could have easily been a law at the time. A recusant was a disappointing person. She wasn’t all that disappointing. At the age of 24 Susanna vowed to marry Dr. John Hall, who was one of the town leading citizens and also was a doctor. Her parents must have been bouncing off the walls when hearing of this engagement. With this marriage, Susanna was also appointed Shakespeare’s house after his death. Along the same path as her Mother, Susanna gave birth to Elizabeth, Anne and William’s first grandchild, about Eight months after marriage. Elizabeth was welcomed with open arms to the loving family.

The only mystery that still remains is the question of Anne and William’s relationship. Their separation made them distant. Many people thought that Shakespeare cheated on Anne while away on work.

On the other hand, Hamnet was a different story. His life story goes on for about eleven years. Neither Hamnet nor his sisters attended school, which was against the law. Though he had no schooling, he was still affected by the deadly disease that swept across the continent. The Bubonic Plague, other wise known as Black Death or Black Plague, took little Hamnet’s life. He was soon buried in Stratford on August 11, 1596.

Now we all have a strange relative. Judith wasn’t necessarily strange, she just happens to be with the wrong guy. It wasn’t her fault; her parents betrothed her to marry Richard Quiney, who was about four years younger than Judith. They married on February 10, 1616, but when a scandalous rumored aroused, there was only trouble ahead for the both of them. Apparently, Richard “had made another girl pregnant,” Linda Alchin wrote on her webpage called __William Shakespeare and His Children.__  Richard and Judith’s families still allowed the couple to marry. Both Richard and Judith were excommunicated from the church. With William’s decreasing health, he left money to Judith under her name to help out with any problems that occurred. With this entire ruckus, she still ended up with Richard, who turned out not to be such a bad guy after all. They had two children that made it to adulthood, Richard and Thomas. Both of which carried the Shakespeare name until death.

Though Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith weren’t the smartest kids on the block, they sure had an adventure as a theme in life. Sadly, none of them took the pride in writing like their father had. That doesn’t mean that didn’t make impact though. They made an impact, but it was the kind of impact that only their family knew about. Some mysteries that have come out of the family realm have been solved. There are still some that are boxed up, waiting to be reopened..

Work Cited Alcin, Linda. “William Shakespeare & his Children.” [Online] [|http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-children-and- grandchildren.htm]. Accessed on March 8th 2009.  Chill, Thomas, “ Mysteries of Middle ages.” [Book] Published 2006. Accessed on April 13, 2009.  Kay, Dennis, “ Shakespeare online.” [Online] []. Accessed on March 9 th 2009. 