One of the advantages which the Lord Chamberlain's Men enjoyed was the patronage of Queen Elizabeth. When the Queen had an acting company come to the palace to perform, they received a substantial payment as well as exposure to nobility who might also employ them for private performances. For example, it seems likely that Shakespeare originally wrote plays like Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Macbeth and The Tempest for some sort of initial private performance such as a wedding or royal entertainment. In plays like Midsummer Night's Dream or Macbeth Shakespeare included tributes to the monarch, which suggest that Elizabeth or James were present for the performance. This royal connection helped Shakespeare's career.

In 1596 John Shakespeare applied for and was granted a coat-of-arms, the official recognition of status as a gentleman. It seems unlikely that the queen would have singled out for this honor a former mayor of a small market town who had fallen on hard financial times. Clearly his son had arranged for this recognition. In fact on the illustration of the coat-of-arms in the records, someone has written "Shakespear the Player [actor]." After several years of increasing success in the theater, the playwright could afford to demonstrate the extent of his success and to move his whole family into the ranks of respectable society. For the rest of his life Shakespeare was referred to as "Mr. William Shakespeare, Gentleman."

Shakespeare invested his newfound wealth in property back in Stratford. In 1597 he purchased the largest house in Stratford, called New Place and shown here. (Notice the family coat-of-arms over the front door.) This continuing connection with Stratford, at least financially, suggests that Shakespeare probably spent some time back in his old home town, perhaps during the winter when the open-air theaters were closed. While in London Shakespeare rented rooms from different people, including a French family named Montjoy.