Anne Whateley Anne Whateley Anne Whateley is the name given to a woman who is sometimes supposed to have been the intended wife of William Shakespeare before he married Anne Hathaway. Most scholars believe that Whateley never existed, and that her name in a document concerning Shakespeare's marriage is merely a clerical error. However, several writers on Shakespeare have taken the view that she was a real rival to Hathaway for Shakespeare's hand. She has also appeared in imaginative literature on Shakespeare and in Shakespeare authorship speculations. Shakespeare's biographer Russell A. Fraser describes her as "a ghost", "haunting the edges of Shakespeare's
Anne Hathaway perceived image, she says, "People have this idea of me as just being a very prim, professional girl, which I suppose I am, but I do cut loose and have fun in my life". Hathaway is one of the most accomplished actresses of her generation. In a review of her work in "Twelfth Night", Charles Isherwood wrote, "on screen or onstage Ms. Hathaway possesses the unmistakable glow of a natural star". An "Esquire" writer says many of her good performances have been overlooked, describing her career as "subtle brilliance that has largely gone unnoticed". Discussing her career in 2015, Hathaway