Hamnet

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Agnes grows up feeling very alienated from her family, especially her stepmother, Joan. What do you think is the impact of growing up feeling like you do not fit in? Conversely, how does it shape someone’s character if they feel accepted and loved within their family of origin?

2. From the time that she is pregnant with the twins, Agnes is haunted by a sense of foreboding and premonition. Have you ever felt an inexplicable sense that something was doomed or going to go wrong? Did you listen to this intuition, and did it turn out to be correct?

3. Hamnet decides to sacrifice himself because he wants his twin sister to live. Can you think of a time when you or someone you know made a significant sacrifice for someone they cared for?  What were the motivations at play? 

4. Agnes and her husband have very different reactions to the loss of their son. Why do you think that some people cope with grief differently from others? Are some methods of coping healthier than others? Have you seen loss bring people together or push people apart?

5. Hamnet posits that the grief Shakespeare felt after losing a child ultimately inspired him to write one of the most famous plays in the English language. Does great art require suffering, in your opinion?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Agnes often feels frustrated by the emphasis her husband places on his career. At the same time, his ambitions lead him to artistic greatness. Do you think it is challenging to be the partner of a high-achieving individual? Are individuals popularly considered to be “geniuses” typically supported by labor (emotional and otherwise) that may go unrecognized? 

2. Hamnet takes time during a period when literacy was relatively rare, particularly among women. What is its ultimate position on the significance of literacy and its relationship to education broadly? Does this have any implications for contemporary societies where literacy is much more widespread?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. O’Farrell refers to a historical figure more commonly known as Anne Hathaway by the name “Agnes.” She also never uses the name “Shakespeare” in the novel. What is the significance of these choices?

2. Contrast the two birth scenes (the first when Agnes gives birth to Susanna alone in the woods, and the second when she is forced to give birth to the twins in a more conventional setting). What do these two scenes reveal about the transitions in Agnes’s life and character over time?

3. Discuss the symbolism of animals in the novel—for example, Agnes’s kestrel and Judith’s cats. Why is the symbolism of animals especially significant in a novel largely focused on the experiences of women?

4. The novel unfolds in alternating narratives, gradually providing the history of Agnes’s life before the illness of her children. What is the effect of this structure on the reading experience? 

5. Analyze the scene at the end of the novel when Agnes watches the performance of a scene from Hamlet. Why is the scene so moving for her? How does it transform her understanding of her husband’s own sense of grief and loss?