Released in 2020, Hamlet by Maggie O’Farrell has earned a plethora of awards and acclaim. Here, Alice Holmes reviews the novel and gives her thoughts.
Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell is an extraordinary piece of historical fiction, reimagining the short life of William Shakespeare’s only son. Hamnet died at the age of 11 and is believed to be the inspiration for the tragedy: Hamlet.
The novel begins in the summer of 1596 where Hamnet discovers his twin sister, Judith, is ill. The plot then dives into the week that follows, leading up to Hamnet’s death. O’Farrell alternates chapter-by-chapter from this week in 1596, to a temporal shift from when William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes (typically known as Anne Hathaway) meet, get married and have their first child, Susanna, followed by the twins, Hamnet and Judith. The constant flickering between time periods adds to the pace of the novel and successfully grips the reader.
Although titled Hamnet, which is interchangeable with the name Hamlet, the central role in this novel is given to Agnes. This provides a unique and previously undiscovered perspective into this time period. Agnes is a free-spirited woman and there is a heavy focus throughout the novel on the portrayal of motherhood. In the second half of the book the key focus is upon grief and the exploration of how this emotion burdens and torments livelihoods. The raw, honest and touching portrayal of grief is one of the highlights of this novel. Interestingly, William Shakespeare is almost a ghost-like feature. His name omitted throughout the book. His absence is more prominent than his presence.
Maggie O’Farrell’s writing is intensely detailed and descriptive, allowing the reader to become encapsulated into the world of Elizabethan England. Her extensive research is evidenced throughout and makes for a really absorbing and enjoyable read.
Hamnet is available for purchase online here now.
