Shakespeare's Wife Pregnant at Wedding
William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway Wed in 1582
Manuscript Reveals Marriage Details
Newly discovered documents have revealed that William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married in 1582, not 1583 as previously believed. Furthermore, the documents indicate that Anne was already several months pregnant at the time of the wedding.
The findings come from a team of researchers at the University of Oxford, who analyzed a manuscript that was found in the archives of the Diocese of Worcester. The manuscript contains a record of the marriage license granted to Shakespeare and Hathaway on November 28, 1582. The license states that Hathaway was "of lawful age" and that she had given her consent to the marriage. However, it also notes that she was "four and a half months gone with child."
The discovery of this manuscript sheds new light on the relationship between Shakespeare and Hathaway. It had been previously assumed that the couple married in a hasty and secret ceremony after Hathaway became pregnant. However, the new evidence suggests that the marriage was planned and that Hathaway was not forced into it.
The findings also raise questions about Shakespeare's sonnets. Many of Shakespeare's sonnets are addressed to a "dark lady," who has been identified by some scholars as Hathaway. The new evidence suggests that these sonnets may have been written during the early days of Shakespeare's marriage, when he was still struggling to come to terms with Hathaway's pregnancy.
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