Shakespeare's+Marriage

= **//The Marrige of//** = = **//William Shakespeare//** = = = = = = **//and//** = = = = = = **//Anne Hathaway//** = media type="custom" key="2710313" William Shakespeare's soon-to-be wife, Anne Hathaway, first met him when visiting Stratford, the town where Shakespeare lived. When it was decided that the two of them would get married, conflicts arose and gossip filled the town. At the time of their marriage, Hathaway was 26 years old while Shakespeare was only 18 years old. Due to the fact that the age of consent for marriage was 21 years of age, Shakespeare needed his father, John's, permission. As soon as permission was given, the Bishop of Worcester provided a Marriage Bond stating that the marriage was indeed legal. However, another problem arose. It just so happened that there were two documents regarding the marriage, but the names of the woman on the documents were different. On November 27th, 1582, Shakespeare recieved a document stating that he had married Anne Whateley. The next day, however, Shakespeare recieved another document stating that he had married Anne Hathaway. Despite the fact that this conflict brought up many questions about Shakespeare, the marriage of Shakespeare and Hathaway continued. As the second document stated, the couple were married on November 28th, 1582 at Temple Grafton, located right outside of Statford. At the time of the marriage, Hathaway was approximately three months pregnant and just six months later the newlyweds had their first child, Susanna. Later, the couple had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Unfortunately, Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11 from Black Plague. Hathaway raised their three children while Shakespeare was in London. As for the couple's relationship, it is believed that Shakespeare may have had affairs while away from his family. In addition, some question Shakespeare's sexuality and believe that while in London he may have even had an interest in men. However, there is no actual evidence to support the questions about his sexuality. As far as Shakespeare and Hathaway's relationship, it must have been a shaky one due to the fact that he was always traveling; not to mention, the gossip about his "affairs" he had in London.



media type="custom" key="2687485"

Resources: [|William Shakespeare]