8-4LostYears

WHAT ARE “THE LOST YEARS” OF SHAKESPEARE’S LIFE? //Answers Prepared by Nathan G.

 Today we know a multitude of things about Shakespeare’s plays and poems, but very little is known about his life in general. One particularly cloudy time period from 1585 through 1592 is known as “the lost years” of Shakespeare’s life. His life was “lost” from age 21 to 31. Around 1585, he was married and had three children, but then in 1592, he was in London working as a playwright and owned a theatrical company. Terry Gray in his website “The Lost Years,” he explains that we have found no evidence of him even existing in this time period. If he had written any letters, made any official documents, or written anything down, we have either not found them or they have been destroyed. Through close analyzation however, people have looked at his life before and after these years to guess what he was doing.

Many theories suggest what Shakespeare did during this time to transform his life. Some seem more likely than others. One view is that he helped his father in the family business of leathers and grains. This is what most twenty-year-olds during his time did. Another reasonable idea is that he worked as a scribe, clerk, or schoolmaster. They believe this on the basis that in many of his plays, he demonstrated great knowledge of many areas of study. There are other, more far-fetched, unreliable ideas about his work during these “lost years.” Some say he took a trip to Italy, or that he worked as a soldier or sailor for England. The facts behind those theories are that Shakespeare has much knowledge of the sea and of Italy. The most accepted theory is that he worked at a regular job in England. However, I believe that he could have learned of these things if he read books, met new people, or worked as a teacher. These “lost years” have puzzled many people why no evidence of Shakespeare’s life has been found, but through logic, reason, and a little bit more searching, these “lost years” will soon be filled.

Works Cited Alexander, Catherine. Shakespeare: The Life, The Works, The Treasures. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

Gray, Terry. "The Lost Years." 02/25/09. 16 Apr 2009 <[]>.

Laroque, François. The Age of Shakespeare. New York: Abrams, 1993.

Mowat, Barbara, and Paul Werstine. A Midsummer Night's Dream. New York: Washington Square Press, 1993.

Pritchard, Louise. Shakespeare. 1. New York: DK, 2002.

"Shakespeare's "Lost Years"." Shakespeare Resource Center. 18 Feb 2009. 5 Apr 2009 <[]>.

"The Lost Years." In Search of Shakespeare. PBS. 5 Apr 2009 <[]>.

"William Shakespeare The Second Lost Years." Shakespeare Info. 5 Apr 2009 <[]>. //