New analysis of a letter fragment has possibly shed light on William Shakespeare’s marriage – suggesting it may have been less fractious than previously suggested.
The wordsmith, it has long been assumed by some scholars, had a largely unhappy marriage with his wife, Anne Hathaway.
It was said that he left her in Stratford-upon-Avon while he spent his time in London.
However, new analysis of a 17th-century letter fragment by the University of Bristol has questioned that narrative.
The letter was preserved by accident in the binding of a book in Hereford, and is addressed to “good Mrs Shakespeare” and appears to show both husband and wife living together in central London at some point between 1600 and 1610. Prior to this work by Professor Matthew Steggle, the university said there was no evidence putting Mrs Shakespeare in the capital with her husband.
Professor Steggle said: “First discovered in 1978, the letter’s been known for a while, but no one could identify the names or places involved or see any reason to think that the Mr Shakespeare in the letter was necessarily William rather than anyone else of the same name in the general period. “So, it’s a story about the Shakespeares’ marriage, really, as well as about Shakespeare’s London contacts.
“And if the writing on the back of the letter is a reply, then it’s also a story about the first ever bit of writing which can be attributed to Anne Hathaway.”
The letter explains a tale in which Shakespeare is allegedly witholding money from an orphan boy named John Butts.
Someone writes to Mrs Shakespeare asking her for the money, but she stands by her husband, the university said, telling the letter writer it was their own problem.”
Professor Steggle added: “[The letter] also shows a side of Shakespeare’s London life that’s not been known before, giving him a new address in Trinity Lane and a whole new sphere of activity for him.
“It seems to show her being involved with her husband’s money affairs and social networks.
“So, it’s a game-changer in terms of thinking about the Shakespeares’ marriage.
“And, if the material on the back is (as it may well be) a fragment of a reply from Mrs Shakspaire, then these would be the first recorded words ever to have come from Shakespeare’s wife.”
It has long been assumed that William Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne Hathaway was less than happy. He moved to London to pursue his theatrical career, leaving her in Stratford-upon-Avon and stipulating in his will that she would receive his “second best bed”, although still a valued item.
This document, which refers to the couple who “dwelt in trinitie lane”, suggests that she did spend significant time with her husband in the capital.
Steggle writes: “For Shakespeare biographers who favour the narrative of the ‘disastrous marriage’ – in fact, for all Shakespeare biographers – the Hereford document should be a horrible, difficult problem.”
The letter also suggests that the couple lived at an address on Trinity Lane at the time. While there was no such street in Stratford-upon-Avon, there was one in London. Of the four “Shakspaire” couples who lived in the city, Steggle claims William and Anne were the most likely to have lived on Trinity Lane at the time given their wealth and the length of their marriage.
If Steggle is correct, Shakespeare and his wife could have lived in central London together from around 1600 to 1610, suggesting that their marriage wasn’t as distant or unhappy as previously thought.
Shakespeare’s marriage has been the subject of much scholarly speculation. For more than 200 years, it has been assumed that the playwright and actor left his wife and children in Stratford-upon-Avon after the birth of their twins, Judith and Hamnet, in 1585 and didn’t move back in with her until his retirement in 1613.
