In Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell doesn't
ever call Agnes' husband Will or Shakespeare. Why do you think she
chooses not to name him?
Agnes is presented as quite a strange woman
who paid little attention to convention and respectability. She
cured lots of people's illnesses with herbs and tinctures. How did
this conform with or differ to your own perception of Anne
Hathaway?
I think that the narrative voice in Hamnet
is quite unusual in that it is quite didactic, but also has a floaty,
not quite of this world feel. How would you describe the narrative?
What do you think O'Farrell was trying to convey through it?
Look around your book club members. Who is
most like Agnes and why?
It is unknown whether Joan was Agnes'
mother or step-mother. How would the story have been different if
she was actually Agnes' mother?
In Maggie' O'Farrell's story Hamnet were
Agnes and her husband in love? Discuss.
The last line of Maggie' O'Farrell's novel
is 'Remember Me'. This is said by Shakespeare who is acting the
role of ghost from the play 'Hamlet'.
In Hamlet (the play) this line is often interpreted as the ghost of
dead king Hamlet (who has been murdered by his brother) asking that
young Hamlet seeks revenge. Why does Maggie O'Farrell conclude her
story with this line?
What Is Agnes' interpretation of her
husband's rationale behind playing the part of old King Hamlet's
ghost? Were you convinced by Agnes' reading of events? If not how
did this affect your enjoyment of the story?
Maggie O'Farrell visited Stratford and the
tourist spots linked to Shakespeare in order to be able to write
authentically about Tudor England. How successfully does she bring
Shakespeare's England to life? Give examples of what is effective?
"Dazzling, Devastating", "Flawless and
furious". "Heartstopping, Hamnet does for the Shakespeare story what
Jean Rhys does for Jane Eyre" are all quotations used n lieu of a
blurb on the back of the book. What quotation would you add to
these? Feel free to joke around. I think Shakespeare would approve
and Maggie O'Farrell probably would too!
In Maggie O'Farrell's retelling of
Hamnet's story, Shakespeare's family seem to have little interest in
or understanding of his writing? Discuss the significance of this?
Whilst we can't ever know for sure what Shakespeare was
like, how true is Maggie O'Farrell's characterization of
Shakespeare, in comparison to the image you have built up of him in
your own mind?
Explore the difficulties of writing a book
with Hamnet as the main character rather than Shakespeare himself.
