Hamnet

Hamnet (by Maggie O’Farrell, adapted into a 2025 film) tells the fictionalized story of William Shakespeare’s family, focusing on his wife, Agnes (Anne Hathaway), and their children, particularly the devastating impact of their son Hamnet’s death from the plague at age 11 in 1596, exploring themes of love, loss, grief, and how this personal tragedy may have inspired Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet.

The narrative shifts between their passionate early romance, the birth of their twins Hamnet and Judith, and the aftermath of Hamnet’s death, highlighting Agnes’s natural healing connection, Will’s ambition, and their struggle to cope with immense sorrow.