Was Shakespeare a Woman?

[Aristus]

13. It sounds like this hypothesis is based on the age-old argument that

only someone of noble birth could have written the plays of Shakespeare, who was an uneducated country bumpkin from Warwickshire.

A notable Shakespeare scholar once responded: "That's a crock. Look at British noblemen today!"

It's little more than class snobbery.

The truth is, Shakespeare was hardly a country bumpkin. Stratford was not a backwater town, but an important trade crossroads that brought in sophisticated visitors and businessmen. William's father, John, was an important figure in town, and served on the town council for a while. He was also High Bailiff, akin to the mayor of Stratford for a while. While there is no record that William attended Stratford's grammar school, (records of student attendance were not kept until after Shakespeare left for London) he would have been entitled to attend for free due to his father's position. English grammer schools of the period were notable for their rigorous curriculum, close to that of a modern undergraduate school today. School was from sun-up to sun-down year-round, with only breaks for meals. And the teacher was always a university graduate.

William Shakespeare was perfectly prepared for his career as a master dramatist.