Hamnet is Maggie O'Farrell's acclaimed historical novel, published in 2020. It vividly explores the life of Agnes Hathaway, William Shakespeare's wife, and the...
The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Agnes Hathaway (Anne Hathaway), William Shakespeare's wife, focusing on the profound impact of their son Hamnet's death on their family and Shakespeare's creative output.
Hamnet Shakespeare was the only son of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, born in 1585. He tragically died at the age of 11 in 1596, years before Shakespeare wrote his famous play, *Hamlet*.
Yes, Maggie O'Farrell's novel *Hamnet* won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020 and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
While based on historical figures and events, *Hamnet* is a work of historical fiction. O'Farrell uses known facts about Shakespeare's family as a framework, imagining their emotional lives and experiences.
The novel explores the connection between the death of Shakespeare's son, Hamnet, and the writing of his play *Hamlet*. Both names were largely interchangeable in Elizabethan England, suggesting a deeply personal resonance for the playwright.