'She's like no one I've ever met... She's like fire and water all at
once.'
Warwickshire, 1582. Agnes Hathaway, a natural healer, meets the Latin
tutor, William Shakespeare. Drawn together by powerful but hidden
impulses, they create a life together and make a family.
As William moves to London to discover his place in the world of
theatre, Agnes stays at home to raise their three children but she is
the constant presence and purpose of his life.
When the plague steals 11-year-old Hamnet from his loving parents, they
must each confront their loss alone. And yet, out of the greatest
suffering, something of extraordinary wonder is born.
This new play based on Maggie O'Farrell's best-selling novel, adapted by
award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi, Red Velvet,
Hymn), pulls back a curtain on the imagined family life of the
greatest writer in the English language. Hamnet is a love letter to
passion, birth, grief and the magic of nature. This edition was
published to coincide with the world premiere at the Swan Theatre,
Stratford-upon-Avon, in April, 2023.