From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
|
}} |
}} |
||
|
””’Hamnet””’ is a 2020 novel by [[Maggie O’Farrell]]. It is a fictional account of [[William Shakespeare]]’s son, [[Hamnet Shakespeare|Hamnet]], who died at age eleven in 1596, focusing on his parents’ grief. In [[Canada]], the novel was published under the title ””’Hamnet & Judith””’.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hamnet and Judith|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/hamnet-and-judith-1.5717579|website=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] Books|accessdate=2023-09-22|date=2020-09-09}}</ref> |
””’Hamnet””’ is a 2020 novel by [[Maggie O’Farrell]]. It is a fictional account of [[William Shakespeare]]’s son, [[Hamnet Shakespeare|Hamnet]], who died at age eleven in 1596, focusing on his parents’ grief. In [[Canada]], the novel was published under the title ””’Hamnet & Judith””’.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hamnet and Judith|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/hamnet-and-judith-1.5717579|website=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] Books|accessdate=2023-09-22|date=2020-09-09}}</ref> |
||
|
==Plot and background== |
==Plot and background== |
||
|
The book relates to the real-life death of William Shakespeare’s only son Hamnet who was buried on August 11, 1596.<ref name=”j310″>{{cite web | last=Thorpe | first=Vanessa | title=Alas, poor Hamnet: spotlight falls on Shakespeare’s tragic only son | website=The Guardian | date=2020-02-22 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/feb/22/alas-poor-hamnet-shakespeare-tragic-son-finally-steps-into-the-spotlight | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref><ref name=”p517″>{{cite web | title=Parish register entry recording Hamnet Shakespeare’s burial | website=Shakespeare Documented | date=2020-05-22 | url=https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/resource/document/parish-register-entry-recording-hamnet-shakespeare-s-burial | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref> The book describes the circumstances of William Shakespeare’s marriage with Anne Hathaway, the birth of their children and subsequent death of Hamnet, potentially from [[bubonic plague]], which influenced Shakespeare’s subsequent writing in the tragedy of his play [[Hamlet]].<ref name=”j310″/> |
The book relates to the real-life death of William Shakespeare’s only son Hamnet who was buried on August 11, 1596.<ref name=”j310″>{{cite web | last=Thorpe | first=Vanessa | title=Alas, poor Hamnet: spotlight falls on Shakespeare’s tragic only son | website=The Guardian | date=2020-02-22 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/feb/22/alas-poor-hamnet-shakespeare-tragic-son-finally-steps-into-the-spotlight | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref><ref name=”p517″>{{cite web | title=Parish register entry recording Hamnet Shakespeare’s burial | website=Shakespeare Documented | date=2020-05-22 | url=https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/resource/document/parish-register-entry-recording-hamnet-shakespeare-s-burial | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref> The book describes the circumstances of William Shakespeare’s marriage with Anne Hathaway, the birth of their children and subsequent death of Hamnet, potentially from [[bubonic plague]], which influenced Shakespeare’s subsequent writing in the tragedy of his play [[Hamlet]].<ref name=”j310″/> |
||
|
O’Farrell explained in an interview that she “was always baffled and saddened by how little mention he [Hamnet] receives in biographies and literary criticism, so I decided to write a novel about him, to attempt to give him a voice and a presence.”<ref name=”j310″/> O’Farrell wrote with personal experience, citing her fear at the potential of losing her own child who contracted [[meningitis]] age 4.<ref name=”s386″>{{cite web | last=Gilchrist | first=Hannah | title=Maggie O’Farrell | website=Red Online | date=2013-01-30 | url=https://www.redonline.co.uk/red-women/interviews/g504669/maggie-o-farrell-interview/ | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref><ref name=”t370″>{{cite web | last=Brooks | first=Geraldine | title=Shakespeare’s Son Died at 11. A Novel Asks How It Shaped His Art. | website=The New York Times | date=2020-07-17 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/books/review/hamnet-maggie-ofarrell.html | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref> She herself also suffered from [[encephalitis]] age 8 which left her with an understanding of the serious effects of bedridden illness.<ref name=”s386″/><ref name=”t370″/><ref name=”h411″>{{cite web | last=Prijatel | first=Patricia | title=The Intimacy of Hamnet Grew From the Writer’s Life | website=Psychology Today | date=2021-07-12 | url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-is-well/202107/the-intimacy-of-hamnet-grew-from-the-writers-life | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref> The book therefore describes the fighting of childhood illnesses and the subsequent psychological impact of sickness and death.<ref name=”h411″/> |
O’Farrell explained in an interview that she “was always baffled and saddened by how little mention he [Hamnet] receives in biographies and literary criticism, so I decided to write a novel about him, to attempt to give him a voice and a presence.”<ref name=”j310″/> O’Farrell wrote with personal experience, citing her fear at the potential of losing her own child who contracted [[meningitis]] age 4.<ref name=”s386″>{{cite web | last=Gilchrist | first=Hannah | title=Maggie O’Farrell | website=Red Online | date=2013-01-30 | url=https://www.redonline.co.uk/red-women/interviews/g504669/maggie-o-farrell-interview/ | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref><ref name=”t370″>{{cite web | last=Brooks | first=Geraldine | title=Shakespeare’s Son Died at 11. A Novel Asks How It Shaped His Art. | website=The New York Times | date=2020-07-17 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/books/review/hamnet-maggie-ofarrell.html | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref> She herself also suffered from [[encephalitis]] age 8 which left her with an understanding of the serious effects of bedridden illness.<ref name=”s386″/><ref name=”t370″/><ref name=”h411″>{{cite web | last=Prijatel | first=Patricia | title=The Intimacy of Hamnet Grew From the Writer’s Life | website=Psychology Today | date=2021-07-12 | url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-is-well/202107/the-intimacy-of-hamnet-grew-from-the-writers-life | access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref> The book therefore describes the fighting of childhood illnesses and the subsequent psychological impact of sickness and death.<ref name=”h411″/> |
||
Revision as of 14:04, 14 January 2026
2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell
Hamnet is a 2020 historical fiction novel by Maggie O’Farrell. It is a fictional account of William Shakespeare‘s son, Hamnet, who died at age eleven in 1596, focusing on his parents’ grief. In Canada, the novel was published under the title Hamnet & Judith.[1]
Plot and background
The book relates to the real-life death of William Shakespeare’s only son Hamnet who was buried on August 11, 1596.[2][3] The book describes the circumstances of William Shakespeare’s marriage with Anne Hathaway (portrayed as a herbalist), the birth of their children and subsequent death of Hamnet, potentially from bubonic plague, which influenced Shakespeare’s subsequent writing in the tragedy of his play Hamlet.[2][4]
O’Farrell explained in an interview that she “was always baffled and saddened by how little mention he [Hamnet] receives in biographies and literary criticism, so I decided to write a novel about him, to attempt to give him a voice and a presence.”[2] O’Farrell wrote with personal experience, citing her fear at the potential of losing her own child who contracted meningitis age 4.[5][6] She herself also suffered from encephalitis age 8 which left her with an understanding of the serious effects of bedridden illness.[5][6][7] The book therefore describes the fighting of childhood illnesses and the subsequent psychological impact of sickness and death.[7]
Critical response and awards
In 2020, the book won the Women’s Prize for Fiction[8] and National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction; that December, it was also chosen as Waterstones’ Book Of The Year.[9] The following year, it was named “Novel of the Year” at the Dalkey Literary Awards,[10] was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize,[11] and longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[12] It was described in Literary Review as “a rich story by any stretch of the imagination, and O’Farrell’s stretches much, much further than most of ours.”[13]
Adaptations
In 2023, a stage adaptation of the novel by Lolita Chakrabarti premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, re-opening the Swan Theatre after the COVID-19 pandemic and refurbishment.[14][15] In September, the piece transferred to the Garrick Theatre in London, directed by Erica Whyman and starring Madeleine Mantock as Agnes Hathaway, Tom Varey as William Shakespeare and Ajani Cabey as Hamnet. It was scheduled to play until at least February 2024.[16]
A film adaptation of Hamnet produced in part by Amblin Partners and directed by Chloé Zhao was announced in April 2023, with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal to star in the film.[17] The film was released in the United Kingdom in January 2026.[18]
Awards
References
- ^ “Hamnet and Judith”. CBC Books. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Thorpe, Vanessa (22 February 2020). “Alas, poor Hamnet: spotlight falls on Shakespeare’s tragic only son”. The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ “Parish register entry recording Hamnet Shakespeare’s burial”. Shakespeare Documented. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ James, Caryn (21 November 2025). “‘History has treated her badly’: Hamnet and the 400-year-old mystery around Shakespeare’s wife and son”. BBC Culture. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b Gilchrist, Hannah (30 January 2013). “Maggie O’Farrell”. Red Online. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b Brooks, Geraldine (17 July 2020). “Shakespeare’s Son Died at 11. A Novel Asks How It Shaped His Art”. The New York Times. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b Prijatel, Patricia (12 July 2021). “The Intimacy of Hamnet Grew From the Writer’s Life”. Psychology Today. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b “Novel about Shakespeare’s son wins fiction prize”. BBC News. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b Beer, Tom (25 March 2021). “National Book Critics Circle Presents Awards”. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ a b “Winner of the Novel of the Year 2021”. www.zurich.ie. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ a b “Australians comprise majority of Walter Scott Prize shortlist”. Books+Publishing. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ a b “2021 Winners”. Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ France, Miranda (31 March 2020). “Love in the Time of Plague”. Literary Review.
- ^ “RSC to stage play about plague death of William Shakespeare’s son Hamnet”. the Guardian. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ “Swan Theatre”. Royal Shakespeare Company. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ “Hamnet Tickets”, London Theatre Direct. Retrieved October 13, 2023
- ^ Kroll, Justin (4 April 2023). “Chloé Zhao To Direct Adaptation Of Maggie O’Farrell’s Novel ‘Hamnet’ For Amblin Partners, Hera Pictures, Neal Street Productions and Book of Shadows”. Deadline. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (6 January 2026). “Hamnet review – Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley beguile and captivate in audacious Shakespearean tragedy”. The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
