Shakespeare has a period of his life which are known as the 'Lost Years' due to lack of records. Theories?

Question

I'm curious as to what people think happened to William Shakespeare in his 'Lost Years' before he was documented as arriving in London. Was he travelling? Writing? Was he on the run? Was he having affairs? Or was he just being a good family man to his wife and children?

I have my own thoughts, but am interested in other people's theories and why they think what they do.

Answer 1

There is very little documented evidence to go on for these years, but I have two theories.

One is that he was simply working at being a good husband and father as you have said yourself. I have to say that I find this to be the more likely.

The second is that he had become way too involved in Catholicism and was keeping his head down - maybe even on the run.

Answer 2

so much to be said and so little to rely on. speculation was after his schooling for three years he traveled working in productions on stage and scribbling thoughts taken from the banter of acquaintances, lovers and fellow thespians throughout his journeys. When he married it was after his first love (thought to be a man) was already weighing in on his own thought provoking entrance to perfecting a sonnets capture of heart and meaning. After his marriage to Anne Hathaway the times lost were least even known talked about or speculated of. It is thought that his love (the boy) gave his cause a miserable emptiness that even his new family would not fill. He sought the time in the castle reading about Tudor England, watching and learning Elizabeth's court and it's many faces of contemporary involve. The works of Henry VIII might have been one of his first works and too the sonnets 1 -16. It is known that he was an accomplished actor having joining the troupe known as Chamberlains men. With whom he was attached well into the 1600's. Never really being known as a home body William Shakespeare was hardly remebered as a good family man. He always sent money but was always on a romp on some countryside performing something somewhere. Affairs? The renaissance era? You can pretty much make book that an actor with a gift of conversation skills found the comfort of many of an attending woman during his entire life. It is said and believed by many that even the virgin queen was taken by his ways.....