A newly analyzed historic letter reveals surprising evidence about Shakespeare's marital commitment, uncovering layers previously hidden from scholarly attention.
Revisiting Shakespeare’s Marriage: A New Lens on His Domestic Life
Revisiting Shakespeare’s Marriage: A New Lens on His Domestic Life
Recent research challenges the perception of Shakespeare as a neglectful husband, shedding light on his relationship with Anne Hathaway.
Any clue about William Shakespeare’s life usually excites scholars, but one piece of evidence had been neglected for decades. Now, a new analysis of that overlooked document seems to shatter a longstanding narrative about the Bard’s supposed bad marriage.
Shakespeare was 18 in 1582 when he married Anne Hathaway, who was in her mid-20s and pregnant at the time. For centuries, it was believed that the writer left his wife and children behind to pursue a literary career in London, shying away from what some described as “the humiliation of domestic feuds.” This view of Anne as a “distant encumbrance” became a staple of Shakespearean scholarship, which often portrayed the playwright as too fascinating to be tied down by marriage.
However, new insights presented by Matthew Steggle, a literature professor at the University of Bristol, suggest that Shakespeare may not have been as detached from his marriage as traditional narratives assert. The breakthrough comes from a fragment of a 17th-century letter addressed to a “Mrs. Shakspaire,” which was discovered nestled in the binding of a book published in 1608.
Although this letter's existence was noted as far back as 1978 by an amateur historian, it had received little attention. Following the book's unbinding in 2016, scholars uncovered a possible reply from Shakespeare’s wife. Steggle, who was in the midst of writing a biography on Shakespeare, expressed surprise that this intriguing piece of correspondence had remained overlooked for so long.
Technological advancements have since allowed researchers to trace back historical connections, revealing more about the people mentioned in the correspondence, which Steggle argues likely pertained to Shakespeare's wife. This finding invites a reevaluation of the playwright’s life, particularly his role as a husband and his relationship with Anne, challenging long-held assumptions about Shakespeare’s neglectful domesticity in favor of a more nuanced understanding.
In light of this, the image of Shakespeare as a distant figure pursuing fame in London is beginning to fade, allowing for the possibility of a more complex and involved character within the realm of family life.
Shakespeare was 18 in 1582 when he married Anne Hathaway, who was in her mid-20s and pregnant at the time. For centuries, it was believed that the writer left his wife and children behind to pursue a literary career in London, shying away from what some described as “the humiliation of domestic feuds.” This view of Anne as a “distant encumbrance” became a staple of Shakespearean scholarship, which often portrayed the playwright as too fascinating to be tied down by marriage.
However, new insights presented by Matthew Steggle, a literature professor at the University of Bristol, suggest that Shakespeare may not have been as detached from his marriage as traditional narratives assert. The breakthrough comes from a fragment of a 17th-century letter addressed to a “Mrs. Shakspaire,” which was discovered nestled in the binding of a book published in 1608.
Although this letter's existence was noted as far back as 1978 by an amateur historian, it had received little attention. Following the book's unbinding in 2016, scholars uncovered a possible reply from Shakespeare’s wife. Steggle, who was in the midst of writing a biography on Shakespeare, expressed surprise that this intriguing piece of correspondence had remained overlooked for so long.
Technological advancements have since allowed researchers to trace back historical connections, revealing more about the people mentioned in the correspondence, which Steggle argues likely pertained to Shakespeare's wife. This finding invites a reevaluation of the playwright’s life, particularly his role as a husband and his relationship with Anne, challenging long-held assumptions about Shakespeare’s neglectful domesticity in favor of a more nuanced understanding.
In light of this, the image of Shakespeare as a distant figure pursuing fame in London is beginning to fade, allowing for the possibility of a more complex and involved character within the realm of family life.
