The truth about Hamnet and how much of the film is actually based on Shakespeare’s real life

Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel, Hamnet tells a heartbreaking story about William Shakespeare, his wife Agnes, and the death of their young son, but while the film feels deeply real and emotional, how much of it is actually true?

Basically, Hamnet sits firmly in the space between fact and fiction. Some parts are true, some are guessed, and loads of it is imagined. So, here’s everything you need to know.

Was Shakespeare’s son really called Hamnet?

via Focus Features

Yes, William Shakespeare did have a son called Hamnet, who was born in 1585 alongside his twin sister Judith. Hamnet died in 1596 at the age of 11 and was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, as per parish records.

What we don’t know, though, is how he died. Historians have never confirmed a cause of death. According to Discover Britain, many believe it could have been the bubonic plague, because plague outbreaks were common at the time, but there’s no proof.

Did Hamnet’s death inspire Hamlet?

According to scholars, the names “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” were interchangeable in Shakespeare’s time. So yes, it’s entirely possible that Shakespeare named his tragic hero after his son. As Maggie O’Farrell told The Guardian, calling a tragic hero after your dead child “speaks volumes.”

But there’s no hard evidence that Hamnet’s death directly inspired the play. Shakespeare also drew from other sources, like Elizabethan revenge dramas and ancient tragedies.

Was Shakespeare married to Agnes or Anne?

Historically, Shakespeare’s wife has been known as Anne Hathaway. However, Hamnet uses the name Agnes.

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According to O’Farrell, this choice came from Shakespeare’s father-in-law’s will, which refers to his daughter as “Agnes Hathaway.” Because spelling wasn’t standardised in the Elizabethan era, Anne and Agnes would have been used interchangeably.

Was Agnes really a healer or mystic?

via Focus Features

In the novel and film, Agnes is portrayed as a healer with mystical insight. There’s no historical evidence that the real Agnes (or Anne) practised healing or had supernatural abilities.

Speaking on the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast, O’Farrell said that this was a creative choice. She imagined Agnes as someone who “saw something” special in William Shakespeare when he was young and poor, someone who recognised his genius before anyone else.

So, this part is invented, but it’s meant to explain why she chose him in the first place.

Did Shakespeare really leave his family behind?

Shakespeare spent much of his working life in London while his wife and children lived in Stratford-upon-Avon. He likely returned home once a year.

That said, there is a 17th-century letter addressed to a “Mrs Shakspaire” living in London, which suggests Agnes may have stayed with him at times. So the idea that she was always abandoned isn’t proven.

Did Hamnet sacrifice himself for his sister?

In Hamnet, Judith is shown as weak and sickly, and the story imagines Hamnet swapping places with her in death. There is no historical record of this, or of Judith being especially ill as a child.

So, how much of Hamnet is actually true?

via Focus Features

The core facts are real. Shakespeare had three children. His son Hamnet died young. And he was likely away in London at the time.

But everything else, the marriage dynamics, Agnes’s inner life, the exact circumstances of Hamnet’s death, is historical fiction.

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