By "humble circumstances" I presume you refer to the fact that he wasn't born an aristocrat? This certainly bothered the 19-century upper class which is why the

By "humble circumstances" I presume you refer to the fact that he wasn't born an aristocrat? This certainly bothered the 19-century upper class which is why they came up with the "oxfordian" theories, that Shakespeare of Avon was really a front for some proper aristocratic author. It also bothered them that Shakespeare was an actor, since actors at the time was considered lower status. So by separating the actor Shakespeare from a hypothetical aristocratic author, the prestige of the greatest author of the English language was saved. It was also rather embarrassing that Shakespeare was part owner of the Globe Theater and seemed to have been a savvy businessman, becoming wealthy through his career. This was embarrassing because a proper aristocrat and poet should of course be elevated above any concerns about earning money (as opposed to just naturally having them).