Chloé Zhao‘s Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, has already stirred discussion as a major contender heading into the awards season. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s book of the same name, the movie centers around Shakespeare’s early life and his relationship with his wife Agnes and their 11-year-old son, whose death eventually inspires him to pen Hamlet.
Beyond the critical acclaim, however, the discussion surrounding the validity of this story in relation to its historical accuracy becomes murkier.
MovieIMDbTomatometerHamnet8.288%
Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet Occupies Grey Zone Between Fact and Fiction
O’Farrell’s book ultimately works as a speculative piece rather than a black-and-white account of what actually happened. Much of the story is imagined due to how elusive the real-life Agnes was, whom many scholars refer to as Anne Hathaway. What is certain, however, is that William Shakespeare did have a son named Hamnet and was married to Agnes.
Speaking of her book, author O’Farrell criticized history’s treatment of Agnes due to how underwritten she was. Speaking with the BBC, she stressed that most scholars went on to run with the ill-informed narrative of her being an illiterate peasant whom William Shakespeare hated.
I got slightly sidetracked by how badly history and scholarship has treated his [Shakespeare’s] wife, the woman we’ve been taught to call Anne Hathaway. We’ve only ever really been given one narrative about her, and most biographers have just run with it, which is that she was an illiterate peasant who trapped him into marriage, that he hated her, that he ran away to London to get away from her.
The book, and in turn, the adaptation, gives Agnes a strong-willed personality and a passionate romance with Shakespeare. The same creative liberty applies to Hamnet, who died at the age of 11. Even though the case of his death remains shrouded in uncertainty, it’s widely believed that he may have succumbed to the rampant plague of that era.
The Hamnet–Hamlet Connection Explained
There’s no clear-cut answer to whether Hamnet’s death inspired Shakespeare to pen Hamlet. Much of O’Farrell’s speculations stems from her interpretation of the themes and narrative threads of Shakespeare’s works, especially Hamlet.
A still from Hamnet | Credit: FOCUS FEATURES
It’s generally believed that Hamlet was written a few years after the death of his son, and spelling-wise, both Hamlet and Hamnet were interchangeable during that time period. It can be argued that the themes of grief explored in Hamlet could be a reflection of Shakespeare’s own emotional state at the time.
Moreover, looking at Hamlet through the lens of a grieving parent allowed Chloé Zhao to get a whole new outlook on the revered play (via THR).
I never really understood [Hamlet].The story is very dark. It’s very dense. It talks a lot about the very difficult human experiences this young person went through in a short amount of time, and then he dies in the end. … I never really understood it the way I did when I read Maggie’s novel. When I read the novel, I thought, ‘Oh, wow.’ I just looked at Hamnet completely different.
While the movie is based on a speculative piece with limited historical backing, much about Agnes and Hamnet remains shrouded in mystery, leaving their stories and impact on Shakespeare open to speculation.
What are your thoughts on Hamnet? Comment below!
Hamnet is currently playing in select theaters (USA).
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