How to Craft a Novel: The Art Of Hamnet
Hamnet is a beautiful and hauntingly beautiful novel that captures the beauty of the English language and tells the story of the lost son. The story focuses on the love affair between Agnes, the famous wife of Shakespeare (also known as Anne), and William, the playwright. We are taken on a historical tour through the streets of Stratford as well as daily life during the Elizabethan era.
Maggie O’Farrell is the author. She sprinkles thought-provoking thoughts throughout the novel. This makes it a work in philosophy that rivals any works of Plato or Aristotle. A budding writer’s burning question is “Where do experienced writers get their ideas?” It was his wife and children who were the subject of Shakespeare’s most famous play. Because Shakespeare has almost completely erased his family’s information, very little is known about Shakespeare’s wife and children.
Hamnet is a feminist text that has a female protagonist at its core. She is not only a future playwright’s wife but also an older woman who isn’t conforming to traditional gender patterns: “So many graves to pass, so many sad, angry ghost tugging on her skirts, touching with their cold fingers and pulling at her, naggingly piteously, saying, “Don’t go. Wait for us. Don’t leave us here.”
O’Farrell has done extensive research on the time Hamnet was written. Elizabethan times saw women who were different as being dangerous to society. This society was very misogynistic and saw women as something to hate and blame for all the social ills. They were often regarded as witches and made the victim of all the evil in the world.
As the story unfolds in flashbacks, the reader is taken on a journey through the past and present. Agnes’s teenage daughter Judith becomes seriously ill, with Hamnet as her only companion. The story opens on page 1. “A boy is coming down stairs.” But we return to the beginning scene only after page 123.
Shakespeare’s wife is shown by the writer as a powerful character who is greater than his equal. He sees her as a stable source who allowed his true genius to flourish, not his father or his fellow writers but Agnes, his wife.
O’Farrell’s ability to capture the feeling of loss and grief through her writing is one of the most striking aspects of her writing. It’s almost impossible to read the book without thinking about your own loss. Agnes is just about to marry and imagines her mother. If life had taken a different course …” She would have been there with her mother. This moving expression shows that the idea of loss staying with you for many years is a powerful one. This narrative and Agnes’ story are filled with moments of loss, which makes her relatable to readers in leaps.
This novel almost feels like a love song for loss, as it focuses on the very real emotions of grief and loss.
Then, Hamnet’s death is described in a beautiful and moving way. It tells us about Hamnet’s physical comfort after death. O’Farrell describes the final moments of Hamnet’s life. In prose, O’Farrell describes how Hamnet crosses the line between death and life. He uses emotive language and imagery to describe his journey. Although it may seem fictional, crossing over from death to life is grounded in reality. O’Farrell continues to describe the impact Hamnet’s death has had on his family. This not only adds to the characters but also drives the story forward.
Agnes watches Hamlet, the play being performed in front of a live audience. Agnes believes her husband has betrayed their son’s memory, but he actually has done the opposite and has made him immortalized. Hamnet ends with the ghost and boy of Hamnet looking at Agnes, saying the words “Remember Me”. The novel’s last words are filled with emotion, particularly for those who are familiar with Hamlet, the most famous Shakespearean play.
Hamnet is an excellent example of how to write a novel. This story uses contexts that readers are familiar with. We have a pandemic, and we have a playwright’s’mad’ spouse. All these elements create a wonderful story arc. This is all combined with poetry and carefully chosen words, and an overarching emotion that encompasses loss and grief. These times are when the book’s devastating descriptions of loss and death, as well as its effect on loved ones, create a powerful effect.
