LostYears2

===**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? **===

Answer Prepared by: Dominique T. There were two periods in Shakespeare’s life known as the “Lost Years”. During these times little is known about what William Shakespeare did. The first lost years were between 1578-1582. The second were from 1585-1592. In order to find out what Shakespeare was doing at this time, we must look at the few documents that remain. However, when this is not enough, we can look into his plays and see what they can tell us about William Shakespeare’s life.

During the first lost years, few facts were discovered concerning what was happening in Shakespeare’s life. We know that John Shakespeare, William’s father, fell behind on his taxes. His father was also fined 40 pounds for missing court. This was the time in between William leaving school and his marriage to Anne Hathaway at age 18, in 1582. In 1579 his sister, Anne Shakespeare, died. Soon after William’s brother, Edmund Shakespeare, was born. Generally, we can see the Shakespeare family downfall during these years. His father went from an influential leader and wealthy businessman to someone in debt who only owned a house on Henley Street. This directly affected William because he had to drop out of school to help support his family.

Since we can’t tell what Shakespeare was doing during these years, we look for clues in his plays. Some of his works required significant knowledge of law, astronomy, the sea, and Italy. Based on this we can assume he worked in these fields to gain enough knowledge to write his plays.

The second period also know as the Lost Years lasted from 1585-1592. In 1585 William and Anne’s Twins, Hamnet and Judith, were born. Both were baptized on February 2 that year. In 1586 John Shakespeare was removed from the Board of Alderman. In 1589 William and his parent were taken to court by their neighbor John Lambert. It is believed that from 1590 to 1592 Shakespeare wrote parts 1, 2, and 3 of Henry VI.

Anne Hathaway and William Shakespeare

Citations: "William Shakespeare The Lost Years 1578 - 1582." //William Shakespeare// // Biography //. N.p., 2005. Web. March 31, 2010. .

Crisp, Peter. __Shakespeare__. New York, New York : DK Publishings, 2002. Pgs. 16-17

Laroque, Francois. __The Age of Shakespeare__. New York, New York: Abrams, 1991. Pgs. 37-39