LostYears4

Isaac Siegel 4/1/10 8-4 **WHAT ARE “THE LOST YEARS” OF SHAKESPEARE’S LIFE? WHAT ARE THE THEORIES BEHIND WHERE SHAKESPEARE WAS AND WHAT HE WAS DOING IN HIS LOST YEARS? WHY ARE THESE YEARS SO IMPORTANT? AND WHY ARE THEY SUCH A MYSTERY?** According to Peter Chrisp, author of __Eyewitness Shakespeare__, “We know little of what Shakespeare did from the time he left school, at about the age of fifteen, until 1592, when he was described as an up-and coming playwright in London” (16). This period of Shakespeare’s life is called the “lost years”.
 * Answer prepared by: Isaac Siegel**

There are a few things that we know about Shakespeare during this time period. Church records reveal that Shakespeare married the daughter of a local farmer (16). Her name was Anne Hathaway and she was twenty-six years old while Shakespeare was only eighteen years of age. They had three children together, the first of them, Susana, was born on May 26, 1583 (16). Two years later in 1585, Hathaway gave birth to twins named Judith and Hamnet (16). For hundreds of years, scholars have been searching for clues that might help us explain what Shakespeare was doing during these “lost years”. His writing shows that he has knowledge in the fields of medicine, soldiering, and law (16). This suggests that he may have had some personal experience in those types of work.

There are many theories behind what Shakespeare was doing during this period and why he left Stratford-Upon-Avon for London. According the author of the “//Shakespeare Palomar//” website, “the most commonly told story about Shakespeare leaving Stratford has it that he had to leave to escape prosecution for poaching deer on the lands of Sir Thomas Lucy” (1). This story started was started by a Gloucestershire clergyman named Richard Davies who, around 1616, wrote, “Shakespeare was much given to all unluckiness in stealing venison and rabbits, particularly from Sir Lucy” (1). That evidence definitely makes this theory plausible. There are other speculations to what Shakespeare was doing during his last years in Stratford. One of the greatest Shakespeare scholars of the eighteenth century, Edmond Malone, impressed with Shakespeare’s detailed knowledge of the law, believed that he “was employed while he yet remained at Stratford, in the office of some country attorney” (1). A nineteenth century antiquary, W.J Thoms, found a man named William Shakespeare as a conscript in 1605 (1). He was very impressed with the so-called Shakespeare’s grasp of military minutia and thought that he must be the one (2). “Other less believable speculations have Shakespeare holding horses outside theatres in London, or visiting Italy, based on his Knowledge of things Italian, or being a runaway butcher, or scrivener” (2). We will never know which one of these theories is actually true.

The lost years are a very important time of Shakespeare’s life. This is because they are so mysterious. No one knows what Shakespeare was doing during these years except for a few miscellaneous dates. Shakespeare is a man that is widely studied and having the information about what he was doing during that time period would be an enormous breakthrough. But until we scholars are unable to find the missing pieces, this era of Shakespeare’s life will continue to be called the “lost years”. **Works Cited** Chrisp, Peter. Eyewitness Shakespeare. London, New York, Melbourne, Munich, Delhi: Dk Publishing, 2002. Print

Honigmann, E.A.J. //Shakespeare: The 'Lost Years'//. Manchester, New York: Manchester University Press, 1998. Print.

Gray, Terry A. "The Lost Years." //Shakespeare Palomar//. Palomar, 25 2 2009. Web. 5 Apr 2010.

__Links__ Here is a link to a great web page off of the Palomar website; its has anything you want to know about the lost years! ... @http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/lostyears.htm

This website is an organization based out of England which has tons of info on Shakespeare and the lost years! @http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/william-shakespeare-lost-years.htm

This website is called the Shakespeare resource center and has everything about lost years possible! @http://www.bardweb.net/content/lostyears.html