A Shakespeare-inspired historical-drama film hit theatres this past Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. Hamnet, based on the novel of the same title by Maggie O’Farrellby, follows the story of William Shakespeare, his wife Agnes (also known as Anne), and their son, Hamnet. Chloé Zhao, with the help of O’Farrellby, wrote the screenplay.
Very little is known about the personal life of the famous Elizabethan Era playwright, so this story is mostly speculation, if not imagination. It is true that Shakespeare had a wife named Agnes and a son named Hamnet, who died at age 11, along with Hamnet’s twin sister, Judith, and an eldest child named Susanna.
I went to see it for myself, and having never read the book, I was curious as to what ideas the writer(s) came up with for the potential life of one of the most iconic yet mysterious figures in literary history. However, in many ways this movie is not about William Shakespeare, but about his family and their struggles.
Of course, this movie is not an attempt at historical accuracy. It is using real figures, but imagining details and intricacies of what they may have gone through to tell a much more universal story of love and loss, beauty, heartbreak, and perseverance. The key themes were nature and the circle of life, and how we can live on through art. It is simply using the potential lives of Shakespeare and his family as a lens to look through.
To make a long story short: this movie made me (and my mom) cry. A lot. And we weren’t the only people in the theater shedding tears.
When the credits rolled, my mom turned to me and said, “That wasn’t sad. That was gut-wrenching.”
The movie begins when William (Paul Mescal), meets Agnes Hathaway (Jessie Buckley). They fall in love (their beginning is quite steamy) then get married after Agnes falls pregnant. They have their three children and are generally portrayed as a happy family, with William beginning his career and spending periods of time away from home in London to work in theatre.
Once they’ve begun their family and William is away in London a lot of the time, he actually fades out for a good portion of the film. I believe that Agnes is truly the main character of this story.
I thought Agnes was a fantastic character, and that Buckley was a fantastic actress. She begins as being a sort of outcast, judged by society in ways that many 26-year-old unmarried woman would be at the time. She is strongly connected with nature and believes in its power, using herbs as medicinal and emotional tools. The forest it takes place in is gorgeous and I loved the use of it to explore Agnes’ character.
The nature filled scenery is reminiscent of the character “Ophelia,” from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, in which Ophelia has a connection to nature as well, passing out flowers and plants, climbing trees, and eventually drowning in a brook. Nature is used in many ways, such as for transitions, foreshadowing, relationships, and emotions.
Agnes’ relationship with motherhood and family was really impactful to me as well. The childbirth scenes are so raw and real, and she loves and cares for her children so passionately. These are stories that are so unoften told, and it made me glad to see these parts of life, the beauties and the tragedies, shown in such vivid detail.
The key conflict of the story, Hamnet’s life and death, is so touching and devastating. 11-year-old Hamnet is an intelligent and exuberant young man. He wants to go to London to be with his father and to be an actor in his father’s plays, yet William tells him he cannot join him yet and simply encourages him to be brave.
When his twin sister, Judith, falls ill with the plague, her odds do not look good. Hamnet lays with her and promises to trade places with her and that she will be well and he will die for her. Here he repeats the refrain that he will be brave, like his father asked of him.
I’m sure you can guess what happens next.
I was also very impressed by these children’s acting abilities. The pain of illness and the strength of their grief seems so real and authentic. Jacobi Jupe plays Hamnet, Olivia Lynes plays Judith, and Bodhi Rae Breathnach plays Susanna.
The cinematography of this film was very interesting to me. I am not necessarily a film buff, so I only know so much about the craft, but there were several things I noticed and enjoyed a lot.
The use of sound in this movie was really captivating. Music is used lightly, while sound effects and background noise really take the stage. Lots of rumbling, thumping, and whirring are used in replacement of or alongside soft music. There’s also emphasis on the sounds of footsteps, heartbeats, breathing, and outdoor sounds like wind, fire, or birds.
The general quietness of the movie made it feel really raw and realistic, and added to the immersiveness. I have found myself quite bored of soundtracks in recent movies, so it was amazing to hear such a unique use of sound.
Of course, I also have to discuss the relation Hamnet’s death has to the play Hamlet. It is described right at the start that “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” are the same name, and basically interchangeable. The play is named directly after the dead son of its writer.
However, Hamlet stars the (living) character Hamlet and his father is the dead one. To me, I took this as Hamnet being given life and legacy past his own early death. William himself plays the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Perhaps William wishes he could have traded his life for Hamnet, or at least died first, and finds a way to do so in his art.
Hamnet takes control of death in two ways: he doesn’t ‘allow’ his sister to die, and then he lives on in his father’s art and finds peace in death, like described in Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” monologue.
Anges’ reaction to the play was extremely intense, and really asked an important question: what would a mother’s reaction to her husband making a play about their recently deceased son be? In fact, William’s extreme dedication to his art causes a rift in their relationship. He goes straight back to London after Hamnet dies and is right back to work.
However, it appears this play is how he actually expresses those complex emotions, and that his art and storytelling is what he needed to work through it, displayed when he sobs backstage at the first performance.
This movie was captivating and so emotionally striking. It brought me in with curiosity, held on with the emotional connection that is formed to the characters and setting, and left me feeling devastated but full of thoughts about life, history, and art.