Hamnet is a historical drama based on Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 bestseller, exploring the family tragedy that is said to have inspired William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The film stars Jessie Buckley as Agnes (Anne Hathaway), Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare, and Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet. Chloé Zhao directed the film, co-writing the script with O'Farrell.
The narrative is based on the limited known facts of William Shakespeare's life: his marriage to Anne Hathaway in the late 1500s, the birth of their son Hamnet, the child's death at age 11, and the subsequent creation of Hamlet, a name interchangeable with Hamnet during that era.
Jessie Buckley portrays Agnes as a character with an affinity for the natural world, possessing knowledge of herbal remedies and psychic foresight. Paul Mescal's William Shakespeare is introduced as a meek Latin tutor working to pay off his father's debts. The film depicts their courtship and Agnes's subsequent pregnancy and the birth of their children.
The story includes the taxing birth of twins, Hamnet and Judith (Olivia Lynes), and then jumps ahead eleven years to the period before Hamnet's death. The Shakespeare household is portrayed as a busy environment, combining naturopathy and Latin lessons with stage combat and play-acting among the children.
While Will (Shakespeare) is working as a playwright in London, the plague affects his household, leading to the death of his son, Hamnet. The film portrays Agnes's intense grief. After another time jump, the focus shifts to the creation of Hamlet, which is presented as an exploration of a father's search beyond grief. The tragedy is reframed, depicting Hamnet as retrieved and reconfigured as the Prince of Denmark.
The film includes a score by Max Richter and climaxes at the Globe Theatre.