Hamnet: One of father’s players
In Elizabethan Britain, the names Hamnet and Hamlet were interchangeable. In 1599, Shakespeare staged The Tragedy of Hamlet. Three years earlier, his son Hamnet died at eleven years old. Historians have exhausted themselves looking for the significance. Why name the troubled prince after his son? Was it an expression of grief? A tribute to a life cut short? We’ll never know for sure, but this fictionalized film – based on the book by Maggie O’Farrell, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Chloé Zhao – is a visceral take on what this grief might have looked like.
The film, however, is not about Shakespeare, or even Hamnet. In fact, the name Shakespeare is never mentioned. The focus is on his wife Agnes, a free-spirited woman rumoured to be the child of a forest witch. She has an accurate talent for telling the future, sharp intuition, and a strong connection to nature. She and Will are matched in their brilliant minds and unique abilities to understand each other. It’s a partnership that was likely not so wonderful in reality but wonderful to watch on screen. Jessie Buckley is incredible, a mesmerizing force of nature, and has been sweeping the Best Actress awards. Her performance is drumming up even more excitement for her role in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming film The Bride!
In terms of finding Hamnet’s significance in Hamlet, the film presents an interesting case. It doesn’t make any sweeping claims, but with Hamnet and Hamlet being played by reallife brothers Jacobi and Noah Jupe, Shakespeare’s unlikely tribute begins to make sense.
With the Golden Globe for Best Picture win, and likely Oscar victory around the corner, Zhao’s film is set to be one of the films of the year. And from the 27th -29th, you can comfortably catch a double-bill of Hamnet alongside NT Live’s Hamlet!
Written by Jodie Passey.
