The urban legend about Anne Hathaway, her husband and Shakespeare

There's no denying how much we love celebrity urban legends. This one, for example, links Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway, her husband, actor, producer, and jewelry designer Adam Shulman, and English playwright and poet William Shakespeare.

Is he or isn't he - that is the question! While pure speculation, this theory raises the possibility that Adam Schulman could be the reincarnation of the most famous English playwright, William Shakespeare.

Don't doubt it! Although at first, it may seem out of this world, let us show you the evidence that corroborates this outlandish claim...

Let's start with the striking physical resemblance. As stated in 2009 by Professor Stanley Wells, a specialist in "Hamlet", this portrait was the only one painted during Shakespeare's lifetime, and dates from 1610, six years before his death. It has remained in the Cobbe family for centuries.

Photo: WikiImages / Pixabay

And here you can judge for yourselves: a side-by-side comparison. Identical eyes, nose, and mouth, don't you think? It's almost as if they were born apart, or at least very close: one was born on April 23, 1564, and the other on April 2, 1981.

And as if that weren't enough, William Shakespeare's wife was called the exact same as Adam Shulman's wife: Anne Hathaway. Coincidence?

And apparently, a quote attributed to William Shakespeare adds even more mystery to this enigma: "Life is too short to love you in one lifetime; I promise to look for you in another." Is Shakespeare reincarnated as Adam Shulman to reunite with Anne Hathaway?

The "other" Anne Hathaway, born in 1556, grew up in a town called Shottery, one mile from Stratford-upon-Avon, where William Shakespeare lived, born eight years later in 1564.

William Shakespeare's wife lived in this twelve-bedroom country house in Stratford, which to this day retains some of the original furnishings. The oldest part was built before the 15th century, while the upper part is from the 17th century.

While Anne was three months pregnant with their first daughter, Susanna, the couple married in November 1582. There was much suspicion that the marriage was arranged to avoid a scandal. He was 18 years old and needed his father's permission to marry Anne, who was already 26. In 1585 their twins, Hamlet and Judith, were born.

Shakespeare lived, wrote, and acted in London while she remained at the family home in Stratford, to which he returned after his retirement from the theater in 1613. Shakespeare died in 1616, and his wife seven years later, on August 6, 1623.

Both are buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. In the image is the inscription on Anne Hathaway's tombstone.

There has been much commentary regarding  the inheritance left by Shakespeare to his wife: "his second best bed." However, in Elizabethan times, it was common to leave the house furniture to the wife, and the first bed was intended for guests, so Anne inherited the marital bed, also called the "second bed."

But going back to the urban legend regarding the reincarnation of Adam Schulman so he could find his long-lost love, Anne Hathaway. What does Adam Shulman think of all this? To date, he has not said anything about it, at least not in public.

There is no doubt that the love between Adam Shulman and his wife Anne Hathaway is as intense as that of Romeo and Juliet but without tragic overtones.

They met in 2008 at the Palm Springs Film Festival. Anne confessed during a 2013 interview with the British edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine that for her, it was love at first sight; she knew immediately that he was the love of her life.

According to the actress of 'The Devil Wears Prada' and the 2012 Oscar winner for her role in 'Les Misérables', when they met, Adam had a girlfriend, but a few weeks later he became single. Anne did not want to miss the opportunity to get closer to the man who had made such an impression on her.

In 2012, after four years of dating, they were married at a private residence in a ceremony held with family and friends in Southern California. On March 24, 2016, their first child, Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman, came into the world, and in December 2019, they welcomed their second child, Jack.

The two are very protective of their privacy but offer cute gestures of affection during their public appearances. And although their real life may not be as dramatic as Shakespeare's, or his supposed reincarnation, it is genuine and full of authenticity, urban legend or not.