Shakespeare's discrepanciesShakespeare is a world-famous playwright. Most people could describe at least one of his plays, poems or sonnets. However, not many people can remember the details of his personal life. Some may know he was married, while others believe he was gay. Because there are so many discrepancies regarding William Shakespeare, it is no longer possible to determine what is fact and what is fiction. The discrepancies involving Shakespeare begin with his father. John Shakespeare had come to live in Stratford-upon-Avon, working as a glove maker. However, John had a long list of jobs. He was a wool merchant and was involved in money lending (www.shakespeare.org). In addition to these he was a whittawer, which is a white leather worker, and a general agricultural merchant (Hunter WP). According to John Aubrey, an English writer of Shakespeare's time, John was a butcher. In addition to all this, research shows that John was a prominent citizen and a “respected and highly successful man of high status” (http:168.216.219.18). John has held numerous official public positions. He served on the city council for many years, held the office of justice of the peace, and became a bailiff, the equivalent of a modern mayor, in 1568 (www.shakespeare.org). Now, how can a man who can't write, (http:168.216.219.18), hold so many different positions? From the butcher to the glove maker to involvement in money lending to the bailiff, how can you tell what is true and what is made up to enhance the story William Shakespeare came from? John married Mary Arden in 1557 (Hunter WP). She came from a wealthy family who paid a "nice dowry for her to marry" (http:168.216.219.18). Now, this increase in John's funds may explain how he eventually went from glove maker to bailiff. However, numerous years elapsed between the increase of his funds and his honorable title, which is highly doubtful. William Shakespeare was the third child Mary bore John, but he was the first to live beyond infancy. Shakespeare was born in April 1564, but the exact date of his arrival is unknown. Because the infant mortality rate was high, infants were baptized within two or three days of birth. Shakespeare was baptized...... middle of paper......bsp; (online) Available on the world wide web: http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/about_shake.htm2. Eastman, Arthur M. A Brief History of Shakespeare Criticism.New York: Random House, 1968.3. Epstein, Norrie. Friendly Shakespeare. New York: Boates Books.4. Hunter, Elizabeth. (1999, September). William Shakespeare: His life in Context (1999) (online) Available worldwide on the web: http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/wslife.htm5. McElroy, Bernard. Shakespeare's mature tragedies. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973.6. Quennell, Peter. Shakespeare. Cleveland: World Publishing Company, 7.1963. William Shakespeare. (online) Available on the World Wide Web: http://168.216.219.18/projects/shakesp/shakesp.htm