Hamnet
I haven’t read Maggie O’Farrell’s “Hamnet,” in spite of the excellent reviews. The book is an imagining of Shakespeare’s inspiration for Hamlet; the death of his son Hamnet. Too sad.
The movie “Hamnet” is directed by Chloe Zhao and stars Paul Mescal (“Sonrise”) as William Shakespeare. Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”) is Agnes/Anne, his wife. Very promising, still… too sad.
But everyone has been raving about Jessie Buckley’s performance. So I braved the sad seas of the story.
First, you should know that Agnes is a witchy woman. We see her in the countryside near the family home being an austringer (new word I learned!), someone who hunts with hawks. Her hawk (Molly) is a Harris’ Hawk. Agnes must have spectacular summoning spells because Harris’ Hawks are native to North America.
Agnes likes to commune with Nature, taking a break from the busy household that includes her despised stepmother. In the woods, Agnes is cradled between the exposed roots of a giant old tree. Pulling herself out of the fetal position she makes her way home where she has caught the eye of her young half-brothers’ tutor. The tutor is William Shakespeare. Wow… these boys are lucky indeed. Or so you’d think. But Wills spends his time intently looking out the window for Agnes. The boys recite Latin from their books. ‘Again,’ says the distracted tutor. Maybe, I hope, there will be a writing lesson soon. Nope! Will scrambles down the stairs when he sees Agnes striding homeward. He rushes to her and eagerly engages her in talk. She asks him to tell her a story. He complies with a soulful telling of Orpheus and Eurydice. (These would make great names for cats.)
Shakespeare is eighteen years old and Agnes is twenty-six years old. Okay, so I’m not approving of actors losing or gaining weight for a role since it’s unhealthy. Remember Anne Hathaways extreme skinniness as Fantine in Les Miz? (Speaking of which, history records Agnes’ full name as Anne Hathaway.) But Paul Mescal is in his mid-twenties and looks it.
Maybe his facial hair could’ve been waxed away and perhaps CGI could scale down his manly muscle tone. As for Jessie Buckley, her character also looks the same after a ten-year time jump. Too bad all of the women in Elizabethan England had long tresses. Otherwise, the passage of time could be demonstrated with a new hairstyle, William, do you like my new pixie cut?
Wills and Agnes are both in unhappy home situations. William’s father is a glover for whom he labors. The guy is a real a-hole who is physically abusive and keeps calling his son useless. Useless?! England’s greatest playwright?! So, the man is a fool, as well.
Meanwhile Agnes’ household is run by her stepmother, a woman who is a far cry from Agnes’ beloved herbalist mum. Besides her younger half-sibs, there is Agnes’ adult brother, Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn). He is kindly and has influence with their father.
So, the Hathaway boys continue to not get instruction from their tutor. Lusty Wills and Agnes romp in the nearby woods and any deserted sheds. Before long she’s preggers and they tell the parents. Wills’ mother, Mary (an affecting Emily Watson), slut-shames Agnes, calling her a wench. At least her dad stands up for her, saying There’s no need for that. Agreed! They talk about the couple claiming they are handfasted, whatever the hell that means. I looked it up and it’s a British Isles term meaning engaged. All it seems to require is a ribbon or rope wherein the couple tie their hands together and say Now we can have sex.
Wills and Agnes marry and the couple seem in love. They live in an attic somewhere on the respective parents’ property. Sometimes Wills works making gloves with his terrible father and other times Agnes is sweeping around an enviable farmhouse kitchen. For all we know, the two Shakespeare and Hathaway homesteads could be a mile or miles apart.
As Baby Susannah’s due date approaches, Jessie Buckley really starts her march to collecting accolades for her Agnes performance. A mother in real life, she went through pregnancy and childbirth. It seems her experience helped her hone her performance because she really nails the birth scene with screaming and panting and crying.
During the movie Paul Mescal gets to cry and emote too. He gets in a physical altercation with his father early on and cries here and there. But, as a uterus-less man, he can’t claim a birth scene with all its inherent dramatics.
When Shakespeare is in London, you might think we’ll see him pub crawl with actors and other playwrights. No, we just see Wills picking along the Thames at lowtide – the river as filthy as ever- with a little doggo. Mostly we’re in the countryside with Agnes and the kids. Yup, after having Susannah, she has twins Hamnet and Judith. If you think that Jessie B. screamed a lot when she had one baby, you can imagine how much she screeeeeams and utters oaths when she has to birth two infants.
Time jump to ten years later…
The children are darling: Susannah (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), Judith (Olivia Lynes) and Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe). Hamnet is an active and bright boy who loves the times when his dad visits the family. One day, Wills is headed back to London and the goodbyes are sad. Later, in the garden, Agnes is trying to cheer her son engaging him in conversation. Before long he is saying he wants to be an actor for his dad and have a sword fighting scene.
I should probably tell you that in 1500’s Europe, the population was periodically plagued by, well, plague. In addition, there are many other killing viruses for we which we now have vaccines. Before her husband leaves for London, Agnes confides her fears for the children’s health as colder weather approaches. But Agnes does have her witchy potions, so that might help.
All I can say is that Jessie Buckley gets another opportunity to cry and scream her lungs out with the force of a hurricane. I wonder if Chloe Zhao inspired Jessie by suggesting that producers may have doubted she could do justice to the role of Agnes.
There is a tragedy and the aftermath…
Will has been home for a time. Finally, he prepares to set off. Agnes pleads for him to stay, but he declines, saying that the theater season will soon start. Hurt, Agnes tells him to piss on off back to London. Did Elizabethan English swear as much as today’s Brits? Probably. After all, the French have been calling the English les goddamns since the Hundred Years War, owing to their soldiers’ frequent use of the oath. Today, the English are more aptly dubbed les f**koffs.
Dear reader, we do get to spend some intense time in the Bard’s company in London as he writes and rehearses his actors. This gives Paul M. screentime reciting some of Shakespeare’s great verse from “Hamlet.”
We’ll accompany Agnes to the Globe and the premiere of “Hamlet.” The young Prince of Denmark is played by Noah Jupe, real life older bro of Jacobi Jupe, the young Hamnet. They have a strong family resemblance. Agnes will see what seems a spectre of her son.
Get your tissues and be ready to cry along.
Goodnight, sweet prince/And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest