Hamnet: a captivating movie brings Shakespeare’s lost child–and the inspiration for play Hamlet–to life

The Oscar buzzing film “Hamnet” is a captivating story based on a 2020 historical fiction novel by Maggie O’Farrell (of the same name)  about William Shakespeare’s inspiration for his iconic play, Hamlet. Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son Hamnet—along with his twin sister Judith—fell ill, and Judith recovered but Hamnet tragically died in 1596. At the beginning of the film, directed by Chloe Zhao (famous for Nomadland and Eternals) there is a note that the names Hamnet and Hamlet are interchangeable. 

In the film, Shakespeare (played by Paul Mescal) and his soon-to-be-wife Agnes (played by Jessie Buckley) are locals in the same neighborhood, and Shakespeare’s admiration for Agnes soon makes its way into her heart. The couple marry, and have three children, one being a boy named Hamnet. 

As a woman, watching the film and getting a taste of life for Agnes, was hard to swallow. Her life is full of hard work and dedication to her children, and only two of them live through childhood. 

There is a Greek mythology reference Shakespeare shares with Agnes in the beginning, the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. He explains that Orpheus ventures into the underworld to bring back his wife, Eurydice, under the condition that he will not look behind him on the journey back to see if she is following behind him. Orpheus fails, and when he looks behind him, Eurydice is gone, and forever trapped in the realm of death. 

This story is relevant and possibly foreshadows the relationship between Shakspeare and his son Hamnet, given that after his son’s death he will attempt to bring him back by writing a play about him, though nothing can truly bring back a lost child and it’s impossible for the parent to fully move forward with looking back to the past.

The film dramatically captures Hamnet’s sickness and ensuing death. When Shakespeare is away for work in London, his middle daughter (and Hamnet’s twin) Judith becomes extremely sick and is in painful suffering. Her brother Hamnet finds her in the night and prays that death will take him instead. 

The next morning, Hamnet has passed, and Judith is in good health. After Hamnet’s passing, the relationship between Shakespeare and Agnes begins to sour. His work trips to London become more frequent, but when Agnes hears from her brother about the new play Hamlet, she travels for the opening. 

Earlier in the film, Agnes tells her son how he will end up in the theater with his father. The film does a beautiful job of allowing Agnes to experience closure over the death of her son and the loss of her husband through eventually seeing the play that honors his life, knowing that he has been remembered and recognized.   

Hamlet was Shakespeare’s way of trying to bring back his son, just as Orpheus tried to retrieve Eurydice. His sorrows drove him to great literary success.

The film was emotional, carefully scripted, and fascinating. The acting is honest and feels true to the characters. Costuming is second to the casting, but perfectly captures the simple, traditional clothing of the time. 

The film dramatically cuts from an intense moment to beautiful nature scenes of the forest, birds chirping, and the sun shining through tree branches.  

As someone who has not read much Shakespeare, the modernization of this story through film is intriguing and a great introduction to him and his work. Available in local theatres like Amherst Cinema and mainstream cinemas like Cinemark, the film is accessible to a wider range of audiences. This movie is sure to win lots of awards this season; Jessie Buckley already nabbed a Golden Globe for best actress–and many more awards are predicted. Whether you read the book the film is based on or see the film, you will definitely enjoy this reimagining of Shakespeare’s life and work.