Revisiting the crazy Shakespeare theory about Anne Hathaway and her husband
Anne Hathaway made her on-screen debut in 1999 as a character on comedy-drama Get Real before receiving her breakthrough role two years later as the main character in Disney’s The Princess Diaries. Praised for her talents, Hathaway followed the film with a series of other family-oriented roles, appearing in movies such as Ella Enchanted and Nicholas Nickleby.
However, she transitioned into adult roles in the mid-2000s, appearing in box-office hits and critical successes such as Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada and Rachel Getting Married, which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination. The last decade has seen Hathaway appear in countless more hits, starring in a mixture of romantic comedies, dramas, fantasy films, and thrillers.
The actor’s fear of being typecast after portraying princesses led Hathaway to seek a diverse selection of roles. Critics have praised this decision, noting her ability to perform well across various genres. Despite Hathaway’s status as a well-respected actor, this hasn’t stopped fans from coming up with bizarre theories about her.
In 2018, a Twitter user propositioned a hilarious theory about Hathaway and her husband, Adam Shulman. They suggested that the couple are the reincarnation of William Shakespeare and his wife. Although this sounds strange, the evidence provided is strangely compelling. Firstly, Shakespeare’s wife, whom he married in 1582 when he was just 18, and she was 26, was actually called Anne Hathaway.
The pair’s age difference has been the subject of much debate amongst scholars, who have tried to figure out why the young Shakespeare married a woman eight years his senior. Some people believe they were only married because of a pregnancy out of wedlock. In contrast, others, such as Germaine Greer, argued that Shakespeare pursued Hathaway, who had a much better social and financial standing than him at the time.
Shakespeare and Hathaway had three children, Susanna and twins Judith and Hamnet, although the latter died from the bubonic plague aged 11. Hathaway outlived her husband by seven years, who died somewhat suddenly, aged 52 in 1616.
Of course, having the same name seems like a coincidence, yet the Twitter user also pointed out that Shulman bears much resemblance to the Bard. If you compare a photo of Shulman with a painting of the playwright, the resemblance really is uncanny, particularly when analysing their eyes.
Furthermore, fans have discovered that Shakespeare wrote his wife a tender note that read, “Life is short to love you only once, I promise to search for you in the next life.” Therefore, people believe there is an explanation for these coincidences – time travel or reincarnation.
Although the farfetched theory is just a bit of fun, it is quite nice to imagine that Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway found their way into the 21st century to be together again.
Check out the evidence below:
