William Shakespeare 6 facts to WOW you!

1. Creepy Birthday Born: April 23, 1564 Died: April 23, 1616 They don’t really know when he was born because there are no birth records, but there is a baptizism record of him being baptised on April 26. Since babies were traditionally baptized 3 days after their birth they assume he was born on the 23rd.

2. Breaking the Law His father was a middle, class glover. Yeah, right!?! Yes, he did make gloves from leather for people but he also was selling illegal wool. Yes, wool. England wool was considered the best and would sell for the most money. His father would get wool from outside England for much cheaper and mix it with the English wool to make a bigger profit. It was illegal and if caught he would be thrown into prison for several years.

3. Scandalous Wedding Married Anne Hathaway in November 1582 Anne was not only 18 at the time, 8 years younger than Shakespeare and turns out pregnant with their first child Susanna who was in May 1583.

4. Tragedies Twins as well named Judith & Hamnet Two years later they had twins named Judith and Hamnet but unfortunately 11 years later Hamnet died. Shakespeare was away travelling with his plays and was not there when his son died. He was plagued with depression for years afterwards and was said to name the play “Hamlet” after his son.

5. Business Man Owned 10% of the Globe Theater During a time when actors, playwrights, and directors were considered poor travelers, William Shakespeare was able to make himself a name and a nice paycheck. He owned 10% of the Globe Theatre, also known as the Wooden O because it was made out of wood. He invested his money in land which continued to make him and his family very wealthy. He was able to afford the second biggest house in Strafford.

6. Was he the writer? Christopher Marlowe? Edward de Vere? Francis Bacon? Because Shakespeare had a very limited education, some critics believe that he was unable to write 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 narrative poems due to this limited education. These men were writers and playwrights, were much more educated, lived during the time, and had similar writing styles but to this day there is no proof that shakespeare was not the writer.