Performance review of the film Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao

What is it about?

Hamnet is a film based on the award-winning novel by Maggie O'Farrell. It tells the story of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, whose son Hamnet, twin brother of Judith, died aged eleven. O'Farrell cowrote the screenplay with director Chloé Zhao. It is a fictionalized account based on the few facts that are known about the Shakespeare family's biography. My review is just short of ecstatic, and I was pleased to see Jessie Buckley receive an Academy Award for her performance as Anne. I recommend the film, especially to students of Shakespeare. The subject may be a sad one, but the resolution is uplifting, to say the least.

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Why is it important?

Hardly anything is known about Hamnet, except that he was probably named for Shakespeare's neighbor, Hamlet/Hamnet Sadler, who is traditionally identified as the twins' godfather (his wife is named Judith) and who is mentioned in Shakespeare's will. O'Farrell's novel, as well as the film, is a study in parental grief, but it also draws attention to a little-known fact about Will and Anne (here called Agnes), that their marriage is open to interpretation, and we are allowed to speculate. This is especially important in light of recent discoveries, including a letter that places Anne/Agnes in London and living with her husband at a time when most scholars have located her in Stratford.

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