Susanna, Hamnet and Judith were the children of which literary figure?

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English playwright and poet who wrote thirty-nine plays and two epic poems. He lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, England, where he married his wife, Anne Hathaway (1556-1623), at the age of 18. They had three children: Susanna, Hamnet and Judith.

Susanna was born in 1583. She was named after the Biblical character from the story of Susanna and the elders in the 'Book of Daniel'. It was a fairly unusual name at the time of her birth. At 24, Susanna married a doctor, John Hall, with whom she had a daughter, Elizabeth.

Hamnet and Judith were twins born in 1585. Unfortunately, Hamnet passed away at the age of 11. Scholars continue to debate whether there is any connection between Hamnet and his father's play 'Hamlet' (1599).

Unlike her brother, Judith survived childhood and married the winemaker Thomas Quincy in 1616. They had three sons: Shakespeare, Richard and Thomas. The beginning of their marriage was difficult because Quincy had an affair and impregnated another woman. It is for this reason that Shakespeare may have altered his will to leave the majority of his property to Susanna. At that time, a wife's property automatically became her husbands.

Judith died in 1662 a week after her 77th birthday. She outlived all her children. Susanna passed away earlier in 1649. She was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford next to her parents.