Think you know Shakespeare? Think again. Behind the legendary plays and poetic turns of phrase lies a man full of surprises – a tax-dodging grain hoarder, a wordsmith who invented “bedazzled,” and someone who never left England, despite setting most of his plays abroad. These weird facts reveal a side of Shakespeare you might not be familiar with.
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Weird Shakespeare facts
Shakespeare’s father was a beer taster and glove maker
Shakespeare grew up in a middle-class family, and his father did a variety of jobs as a merchant, selling leather and wool. He also held positions in local government, and worked as a glove maker while the family lived above the glove shop. He was also elected ale tester in Stratford-upon-Avon, a municipal position that meant he was responsible for ensuring the weights and measures were adhered to by innkeepers.
In one year, he published 154 poems
Shakespeare was famously prolific, writing at least 38 plays in his lifetime. As well as this, he wrote a huge number of poems, mostly sonnets. In 1609 alone, he wrote a whopping 154 of them.
He survived a pandemic – but his son didn’t
During one of the 16th century plague outbreaks, a disease swept Europe that killed millions: the Black Death (one of the deadliest medieval diseases). This outbreak of bubonic plague profoundly impacted Shakespeare’s life, with his son Hamnet dying at age 11. The word “plague” appears 107 times in his works, so it was clearly an experience that shaped him.
Shakespeare was a tax evader
He wasn’t just a visionary playwright – Shakespeare was also a savvy businessman (sometimes displaying fairly questionable business morals). He evaded tax and was known to illegally stockpile food during times of shortage so he could sell it on at inflated prices. He was even prosecuted on the charge of hoarding grain during a famine.
He invented around 1,700 new words
Shakespeare is credited with the invention of over 1,700 new words, contributing a high volume of new words and phrases to the English language. Some of the words that he is credited with inventing or introducing are “critic”, “swagger”, “bedroom” and “bedazzled”.
When he died, Shakespeare left his wife his “second-best bed”
While we might view this as a strange bequest, the “second-best bed” Shakespeare was most likely referring to the marital bed. This is because during Elizabethan times, the “best bed” would be kept in one of the rooms downstairs for display and for staying guests.
There’s a curse written on his grave
“Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones,” Shakespeare’s grave reads. The inscription is believed to be a message from Shakespeare himself, warning readers against disturbing his remains. This is possibly in reaction to the common practice of reusing graves in churchyards at the time.
He wrote plays set in many foreign countries – but he never left England
With Romeo and Juliet set in Italy, Hamlet in Denmark and Othello set in Venice and Cyprus, the vast majority of Shakespeare’s plays are set outside of England. Approximately 25, in fact. But surprisingly enough, Shakespeare himself never actually left England.
Top image: Gower Monument, the 19th-century memorial to William Shakespeare in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon (credit: Getty Images)
