What Were Shakespeare’s Occupations?
In addition to being an actor, playwright, and entrepreneur, it is thought that Shakespeare may have also worked as a horse attendant and assistant schoolmaster. There are several years of Shakespeare’s life for which there is no existing account, and scholars merely speculate on his occupation during those years, notes Biograph.com.
There is no official record of William Shakespeare’s birth, though there are records of his baptism. There is very little recorded information of Shakespeare’s childhood. Since his father was a public official for a time, it is thought that he was educated at the King’s New School in Stratford, where his family resided. Such an education would have supplied Shakespeare with the ability to read and write.
Shakespeare’s whereabouts and occupation between the years of 1585 and 1592 are a mystery. Some scholars believe he was acting as an assistant schoolmaster, while others postulate that he was in hiding after poaching on his landlord’s land. Most scholars accept that William Shakespeare probably arrived in London in the late 1580s and most likely found work as a horse attendant at one of London’s theaters. As of 1592, evidence supports that he was working as an actor and writing plays. In his later years, it was thought that he was able to write full-time, while living on income he earned from several property investments.
