11. His Kids Were Probably Illiterate
Its almost certain that Shakespeares children were illiterate. His son, Hamnet, might possibly have been able to read and write, though theres no evidence that he ever attended school. We dont know much about him because he tragically died aged 11. Shakespeares other children were both girls, which meant that they wouldnt have gone to school. And Will didnt have much time to teach them much, spending most of his time writing and travelling between Stratford and London. This meant that the girls grew up functionally illiterate. The most either of them could manage was Susanna scrawling her name. Shakespeare was certainly a worse parent than his folks. Despite having little money, they sent him to a local grammar school so he could learn to read and write. Which was especially nice, as they were also illiterate themselves.