Anne Hathaway, Wife of Shakespeare Biography

The wife of William Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway was born in the small countryside of Shottery, England, in 1556. Her father was Richard Hathaway, a prosperous farmer and her mother was Anne Joan. Growing up, she had a solid bond with her family, four brothers and three sisters.

Anne’s Marriage to Shakespeare

Anne Hathaway married Shakespeare when she was 26 years old, while Shakespeare was only 18 years old in 1582. Although a lot about their meeting is unknown, they are believed to have met when Anne was a teacher in Stratford upon Avon. They both were in love, and they are believed to be forever linked in history.

Since Shakespeare was very young, he had to attain permission from his father to get married. One prominent reason he was getting married so soon was that Anne was already several months pregnant with their first child. This was a very scandalous idea for people at that time. Their 8 year age gap made some historians wonder that the reason of this was to check the wife’s fertility.

Instead of getting family considerations, the couple got permission from the local bishop's court in Worcester to avoid pregnancy scandals before getting wedlock. This is the most information which we know about their wedding since no authentic information on where the marriage takes place and exact details are mentioned.

The couple had three children, twins Judith and Hamlet and daughter Susanna.

Anne’s Involvement in Shakespeare’s Work

Anne inspired a lot of Shakespeare’s work. She inspired the work of “The merry wives of Windsor ", where she portrayed a jealous wife.

There were also certain accusations that the character of Malvolio in the twelfth night was also inspired by Anne Hathaway stating that she was unfaithful. However, no concrete conclusions were drawn from it.

Anne’s Later Life and Death

Shakespeare used to travel abroad for his work a lot. Anne took full charge of the finances and the household at this time. She looked after their children at home and waited for affectionate letters from his husband. Anne outlived her husband and died at 67 in 1623, seven years later Shakespeare's death.

Very little information is known about Anne in general. Based on her nature, it is assumed that she might be close to her children and grandchildren’s later on. Anne’s son, Hamlet, died at 11, while her two daughters married into beautiful families and had a happy life.

Anne is still remembered as an inspiration for many popular sonnets and a good influence in Shakespeare’s professional and private life. When she died later, she was buried next to her husband in the chancel of holy trinity church of Stratford upon Avon, where the couple used to live.

In her will, she left a lot of bequests to her children and grandchildren and also to charities. She also requested a monument to be built in their memory, yet no such monument was seen anywhere.

However, Anne and Shakespeare's house is now used as a legacy and a main spot of tourist attraction. A lot of people visit there to see their lifestyle and get an actual feel of the environment in which they used to live. They also have a garden, as Anne loved gardening to allow visitors to enjoy the flowers she loved.

How Was Anne and Shakespeare’s Married Life?

Anna and Shakespeare were considered to be very much in love. However, there are certain speculations and controversies around their marriage.

The scandals start from the marriage situation based on how they were married. Since Shakespeare was still very young at the time of marriage, it was believed that he was forced to marry in fear of bad reputation since Anne was already pregnant with their first child.

There were also some cases which stated that Anne was being unfaithful while her husband was away, but again, we see little to no information on whether this is true or not.

And, of course, the second bed left in the will is also a big concern for many thinking Shakespeare did so to belittle her.

How Was Anna as a Wife?

From all that we have heard, Anna seems to be a loyal, supporting and understanding wife. Back then, women did not have much means to work, and they were mainly in charge of maintaining the household, which Anna did.

On top of that, she also had three children to whom she had to attend. While Shakespeare left for London to pursue acting, Anna was left behind. She was in charge of maintaining everything at home, starting from the economy, finances, schooling and homely chores. Despite trying her best, she could not save their son, Hamnet, who is believed to die in a plague that was spreading at that time.

Shakespeare was busy throughout his life, and in his last six years of retirement, he stayed at home full-time. Anna was very supportive and never demanded much from Shakespeare. She did what was in her means to ensure a good life for her and her children and support their needs.

She might not be highly educated, but she did all that she could to not become a barrier but rather be a solid support which everyone appreciated. View Examples

What Did Shakespeare Leave for Her Wife?

Most of Shakespeare's bequests were left behind for her daughter Susanne and her husband John Hall. But this does not mean that he forgot his wife.

These are all the things which Shakespeare left behind for his wife.

One of the most significant items which Shakespeare left behind for his wife was the second bed. It was even written as the “second bed’ which created a lot of confusion on whether this was an emotional gesture or an insult. Back in the day, the husband and wife usually shared the second bed, and the first high bed was left to be used by the guests.

Thinking of it this way, it could have been a nice gesture, but not leaving the big bed behind bought frowns on the faces of many.

He also left behind 10 euros for her. In those days, this was a huge amount that could fulfil Anne’s needs and requirements.

He also left behind some of his apparel which he wore, like blazers, mufflers and more.

The permission to live in his house, which they shared, was also left in his will.

It should be noted that all these are mere speculations, and there is no real information on what he actually left in the will. But knowing how much he loved her, it is definite that he left her something in the will, thinking about his well-being and needs.

Parting thoughts

Not much is known of Anne apart from her being Shakespeare’s wife. Everything we know about her is related to Shakespeare. With what is presented, it is safe to assume that she was a loving mother and devoted wife. She was the main strength of Shakespeare’s writing and inspired him in many ways. Although she seems overshadowed due to his husband's fame, her name will be forever remembered as a kind, supporting mother and wife.