It is a truth universally acknowledged that William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet to memorialize his only son, Hamnet, who died of plague at age 11. This belief, which has reached near-mythic status, drew more adherents after the publication of Maggie O'Farrell's prize-winning Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague, in 2020. And now that her story has been adapted into a deeply moving film'Hamnet, directed by Chloe Zhao'the idea is sure to attract many more. O'Farrell and Zhao, who collaborated on the screenplay for Hamnet, employ a narrative that many Shakespeare biographers have promoted. Some key facts are indisputable. Hamnet and Hamlet were spelled interchangeably at that time. Parish records confirm that Hamnet, along with his twin sister, Judith, were baptized in 1585, likely named after neighbors'Hamnet and Judith Sadler. Records also indicate that 'Hamnet filius William Shakspere' was buried on August 11, 1596. And Shakespeare's Hamlet was staged a few years later, around 1600, and...
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