The Bard’s Real-Life Drama: The Unconventional and Scandalous Marriage Of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway

Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, in a shotgun wedding due to her pregnancy. Although Anne was of legal age, Shakespeare needed her father's permission to marry. Their first daughter was born six months later. This unconventional marriage has sparked scholarly speculation about its influence on the themes of love and marriage in his plays.