martes, 2 de abril de 2013

William Shakespeare, money lender and tax evader


It's all over the media in Britain and across the world: Shakespeare was not only a brilliant writer, but also a cunning businessman with a talent to make money by playing dirty. According to Dr Jayne Archer, a lecturer in medieval and renaissance literature at Aberystwyth University, over a 15-year period, Shakespeare bought and stored grain, malt and barley for resale at inflated prices to his neighbours and local tradesmen. He was pursued by authorities for tax evasion, and in 1598 he was prosecuted for hoarding grain during a time of shortage.

Shakespeare "pursued those who could not (or would not) pay him in full for these staples and used the profits to further his own money-lending activities.'' “By combining both illegal and legal activities, Shakespeare was able to retire in 1613 as the largest property owner in his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. His profits — minus a few fines for illegal hoarding and tax evasion — meant he had a working life of just 24 years.”

Read the news as covered by the BBC and the Los Angeles Times.

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