International Youth Theater Network

Archive for December 19th, 2007

We always think of William Shakespeare as the creator of such immortal plays as “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet” that we often forget that he was also a family man when he was alive. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than he was. They were issued a marriage license on November 27, 1582 by the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester. They appeared to have wed in haste due to the impending birth of their first child who was born about six months after they were married.

Their eldest child, Susanna, was baptized on May 26, 1583. Two years after, they bore twins, a son whom they named Hamnet and a daughter, Judith. Hamnet was reported to have died for unknown reasons on August 11, 1596 when he was 11 years of age. Apart from this, not much is known about the family of Shakespeare except that when he died on April 23, 1616, he was survived by his wife and two daughters. When he died, he bequeathed his “second best bed” and one-third of his estate to his wife. He also stated through his will that the bulk of his estate will be given to Susanna, his elder daughter.

Related posts from this site:
Shakespeare Through Life and Death