"There was another side to Shakespeare besides the brilliant playwright - as a ruthless businessman who did all he could to avoid taxes, maximise profits at others' expense and exploit the vulnerable - while also writing plays about their plight to entertain them," said Jayne Archer, a researcher in Renaissance literature at Aberystwyth University.
She worked with Richard Marggraf Turley, a professor in the department, and Howard Thomas, a professor of plant science, to study the Bard of Avon's 'other' life as a businessman and owner of arable farmland and pasture at a time when Europe was suffering famines, The Sunday Times reported.
"Over a 15-year period Shakespeare purchased and stored grain, malt and barley for resale at inflated prices to neighbours and local tradesmen," they said.
"In February 1598 he was prosecuted for holding 80 bushels of malt or corn during a time of shortage. He pursued those who could not pay him in full for these staples and used the profits to further his own money-lending activities.
"Profits were channelled into land purchases. He also acquired tithes on local produce, including 'corn, grain and hay', allowing him to cream off the profits from others' manual work," they said.