Hamnet is among the most gripping, emotional films of the year, and its ending leaves many questions for audiences to interpret. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, Hamnet is a fictional biographical account of the family life of William Shakespeare that preceded his renown as a legendary writer, exploring the mysterious loss of his son, the film’s eponymous character. The film adaptation is directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare.
Though Agnes and William’s marriage begins with joy and mutual adoration, matters take a turn for the worse when Agnes gives birth to twins, defying her previous mystical vision that she would have two children by her side on her deathbed. This leads her to believe one will die early, and she suspects it to be Judith. However, when Judith falls ill with the plague, Hamnet somehow saves her life by tricking death into taking him instead, dying in William’s absence. Agnes is furious with William for not being there, but reluctantly attends his play, Hamlet.
Why ‘Hamnet’s Final Act Is a Portrayal of ‘Hamlet’
Though initially put off by the use of her son’s name, Agnes has a transcendental experience watching Hamlet. Through multiple, particularly touching scenes, Agnes begins to resonate with the play, connecting the Hamlet actor (Noah Jupe) to her own son. When Hamlet dies on stage, Agnes reaches out her hand to him, allowing her to reckon with the loss of her Hamnet. Agnes then imagines her son, smiling, exiting through the back of the stage into a dark hole, one that reminds her of the supernatural cave in the forest.
Importantly, there’s a metatextual element at play here, as Hamnet ending with a “play within a play” ties back to Hamlet. In Hamlet, the titular character also watches a play, and it’s a crucial moment. While the “play within a play” in Hamlet might seem like a diversion for a plot, it’s actually a pivotal step where Hamlet analyzes his uncle Claudius’ reactions to the performance, fully confirming his guilt regarding his father’s murder. In Hamnet, the play allows Agnes to watch her husband, finally realizing who William is, letting her understand the effect this pain has had on him.
William admitted earlier in the film that he has difficulty speaking to people at times. His father’s abusive behavior has made it difficult for him to communicate verbally, so Hamlet is his way of doing so. The words he crafts are his way of understanding the world, and rather than questioning “To be or not to be” for his own life, contemplating suicide, he transfers his pain into art. As for Agnes, by understanding William, she’s no longer forced to feel alone in her grief. The abandonment she felt due to William’s absence is gone, as he has now, finally, communicated back to her.
How ‘Hamnet’s Supernatural Elements Connect to the Story
Hamnet begins with some strange, mystical elements, particularly surrounding Agnes, as rumors spread that she’s a forest witch. Agnes is trained in herbal medicines, and she seems to possess some sort of prophetic power, allowing her to interpret future events, such as William’s greatness. Of course, this ties into the fictional aspect of the book, as Maggie O’Farrell wrote Hamnet as a magical realism interpretation of Shakespeare’s early adult life.
As is often the case with the fantastical, it’s up to audiences to determine how these elements fit into the story. Did Hamnet actually help Judith cheat death by swapping places with her, or did he contract the plague through his physical closeness with her? Neither answer is wrong; these elements are purposeful abstractions that connect the actual Hamnet, Shakespeare’s son, to the supernatural world of the Hamlet play, where the appearance of a ghost is simply part of the story.
The Real Meaning Of ‘Hamnet’s Ending, Explained
Hamnet sets out to hypothesize on one of the most mysterious components of William Shakespeare’s life: his son, who tragically passed away young, with almost no details recorded in historical texts. The death of Shakespeare’s child almost certainly had a profound effect on the great writer, and this story posits how it may have led to what is arguably his most outstanding, most emotionally-centered play, creating parallels between the characters in Shakespeare’s life and the characters of Hamlet.
With all that in mind, Hamnet is the story of a mother and father whose lives were upended by grief, pushing them down different paths. Agnes suffers the loss of her son and experiences horrifying grief and despair, and she feels abandoned by William despite previously permitting his leave. William struggles to reckon with Hamnet’s death verbally, but through the immense, profound power of art, he manages to do so in a way that brings him and Agnes back together.
Hamnet suggests that Shakespeare’s play wasn’t just an opus of art, but the immortalization of his son. By watching Hamlet, Agnes sees Hamnet again; Shakespeare has brought his essence back to life, in a way. Beyond them, every person who reads or watches a rendition of Hamlet sees that boy, living on forever in a bittersweet way.
- Release Date
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November 26, 2025
- Runtime
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126 minutes
- Director
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Chloé Zhao