Hamnet

About the book

Set in 1580s Stratford-upon-Avon, the narrative centers on Agnes Hathaway, a woman with deep knowledge of medicinal plants and prophetic instincts. As her husband pursues a career in the London theater, Agnes manages their household and raises three children. The plot hinges on the summer of 1596 when a flea-borne illness reaches their home. When young Hamnet dies to save his twin sister, Judith, the story tracks the domestic devastation of his mother and the silent, distant mourning of his father.

Readers of historical fiction who value sensory details of the Elizabethan era will find a realistic portrayal of rural life, from the scent of drying herbs to the mechanics of glove-making. The book serves those interested in how personal catastrophe influences classical literature. One walks away with an understanding of how the specific death of a child in sixteenth-century England might have provided the emotional foundation for the writing of the play Hamlet several years later.

Details

Published

2020

Publisher

Tinder Press

ISBN

9781472223791

Language

EN