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Who were William Shakespeare’s parents?
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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, detail of an oil painting attributed to John Taylor, c. 1610. The portrait is called the “Chandos Shakespeare” because it once belonged to the duke of Chandos.
William Shakespeare’s parents were John Shakespeare and Mary Arden.
His father, John Shakespeare, was a burgess of Stratford-upon-Avon who served as an alderman and later as bailiff, a position equivalent to mayor. John was involved in various trades and experienced fluctuations in his financial prosperity.1
His mother, Mary Arden, came from an ancient family in Wilmcote, Warwickshire, and was an heiress to some land. Their marriage is considered to have been a step up the social scale for John Shakespeare, given the rigid social distinctions of the 16th century.1