Hamnet

Hamnet Shakespeare refers to the historical figure who was the son of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. He was born in the 1580s and died in 1596 at about age 11, in Stratford-upon-Avon. He had two sisters, Susanna and Judith, with Hamnet and Judith being twins. Details of his life are scarce, and much of what is known comes from parish records, family documents, and later literary speculation. His death predates the first publication of any of his father’s plays, and while there is no evidence that Shakespeare wrote specifically about Hamnet, the loss is frequently cited in discussions of Shakespeare’s life and the possible influences on his later work.

The name Hamnet is an archaic form; some scholars have speculated a link between Hamnet and the name of Shakespeare's tragedy's protagonist, Hamlet, though the evidence is inconclusive. The relationship between the boy’s name and the Shakespearean character Hamlet has been the subject of scholarly debate, and many scholars view any direct connection as uncertain or coincidental.

In 2020, Maggie O’Farrell published Hamnet, a historical fiction novel that imagines the life of Hamnet Shakespeare and his family. The book centers on the impact of Hamnet’s death and blends perspectives from his mother, his sister Judith, and other contemporaries. The novel received widespread critical acclaim for its portrayal of family, grief, and the early modern world, contributing to renewed public interest in the family of William Shakespeare.