Anne Hathaway (wife of Shakespeare) fallen into financial ruin, while Hathaway, from a family in good standing both socially and financially, would have been considered a catch. Furthermore, a "handfast" or probationary marriage and pregnancy were frequent precursors to legal marriage at the time. Examining the surviving records of Stratford-upon-Avon and nearby villages in the 1580s, Greer argues that two facts stand out quite prominently: first, that a large number of brides went to the altar already pregnant; and second, that autumn, not spring, was the most common time to get married. Shakespeare was bound to marry Hathaway, who had become pregnant by him, but
Oona A. Hathaway Oona A. Hathaway Oona Anne Hathaway (born 1972) is the Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law and both founder and director of the Center for Global Legal Challenges at Yale Law School. She is also a Professor of International and Area Studies at The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies; Faculty at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs; and Professor (by courtesy) at the Department of Political Science. Hathaway was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. While in high school, she participated in the and Mock Trial programs as a student at