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Brandon Zachary is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant's New Movie Team. He also writes or has written for Comicbook.com, CBR, That Hashtag Show, Just Watch, and TVBrittanyF. Brandon is an Emerging Screenwriters Semi-Finalist, co-writer of a Screencraft Quarter-Finalist, a seasoned on-screen interviewer, and a MASSIVE nerd. You can reach him at [email protected]
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The following contains spoilers for HamnetHamnet is a heartbreaking and moving reflection on grief, highlighting the underlying meaning behind one of Western literature's most enduring plays. Hamnet focuses on William and Agnes Shakespeare during the height of the writer's career in England. However, their happiness is thrown into disarray when their son, Hamnet, dies.
Hamnet splits the run-time between their happy time together as a family and the pain of loss after Hamnet's death, leading to a deeply emotional and incredibly effective finale. Here's why Hamnet ends the way it does, and what it says about the film's perspective on life, death, and everything in-between.
Why Hamnet's Final Performance Is So Important
The emotional core of Hamnet is found in the climactic performance of Hamlet, which serves as the ultimate chance for Agnes and William to finally come to terms with the loss of their son. Hamnet is largely rooted in how Agnes and William both respond to an unspeakable tragedy. In particular, Agnes is furious with her husband at first.
While she doesn't blame William for Hamnet's death, she is furious that his work took him away from them and that he wasn't there to be with Hamnet when he died. This only compounds William's guilt and spurs him to write Hamlet as a means of saying goodbye to his son and immortalizing him the only way he knows how.
This leads to the play at the end of the film, which initially infuriates Agnes until she sees the performer playing Hamlet. Seeing his hair colored blonde to match their lost son leaves Agnes at a loss for words, as it really dawns on her that William is using his storytelling abilities to reckon with his grief and his guilt.
The play moves Agnes (and the surrounding crowd) to tears, while William retreats back-stage to sob as his grief finally catches up to him. It's a heartwrenching climax, especially as Hamlet "dies" on stage. Agnes reaches out to hold his hand, only to realize that everyone else watching the show is doing the same.
It's proof that William's work has not been lost on Agnes, who lets go of her anger towards him. By the end of the show, their matched glance speaks volumes to how they've grown and changed and come to accept the loss of their son. It also highlights how Hamnet may have walked off-stage, but he'll always be remembered.
Is There Anything Supernatural In Hamnet?
One of the most intriguing elements of Hamnet is the way the film teases out potential supernatural aspects to the world. In their village, Agnes is frequently accused of being a woods witch like her mother. Agnes doesn't profess to be a witch, but her connection with nature almost feels otherworldly at times.
This is most pronounced with her apparent ability to foretell the futures of those she meets. Agnes will take someone's hand and hold it, seemingly seeing paths forward. This is also reflected in her dreams, which convinced her she'd only have two children by her deathbed. Sadly, with Hamnet's death, this prediction seems to come true.
Even Agnes' other predictions about William and Hamnet seem to be consistent with their eventual fates. While she saw a bright future for Hamnet, it could be interpreted as him becoming a legendary figure as an iconic character. Meanwhile, William's potential to explore new worlds speaks to his writing and their eventual impact.
Notably, even Hamnet seems to have some touch of the supernatural. While it's possible that he just became sick while consoling his sister and couldn't survive the infection, he also openly prays for death to take him instead of her — and believes in his final moments that their swap was successful.
It's one of the saddest elements of the film, as Hamnet promises to be brave and accept his fate, only to be scared to tears when the time finally comes. While there's no clear supernatural explanation or revelations in Hamnet, the ambiguity plays into the sense of mystery that Hamnet brings to questions about death.
The Importance Of Orpheus In Hamnet
One of Hamnet's themes is established early on when William is first trying to woo Agnes. When she asks him to prove that he's a storyteller, William recounts the story of Orpheus. It's a sweet moment that highlights their romance and his own prowess, but it also lays the groundwork for one of the film's most emotional beats.
During the performance of Hamlet at the climax, William plays the ghost of Hamlet's father. He uses this as a chance to say goodbye to his "son" on stage, something he didn't get to do with Hamnet. This is the moment Agnes seems to recognize what the play really means to her husband, and where much of her rage dissipates.
As William walks off-stage, Agnes quietly begs him to turn around and look at her. This invitation recalls the story of Orpheus, where the Greek singer turned to look at his lost love only to see her gone forever. In looking back and seeing Agnes, William is reassured by her and finally able to let his grief overwhelm him.
The story of Orpheus is a tragedy, but Hamnet uses it as a chance to talk about how love can endure even in the face of death. While Agnes and William will never see their son again, their love for him and each other remains. It gives the story of Orpheus a greater meaning in the overall narrative.
The True Meaning Of Hamnet
Jessie Buckley and a crowd looking up in awe in Hamnet©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection
Hamnet is a heartbreaking film about loss and grief. More than that, though, the film is ultimately about the power of art as an outlet for pain. It helps William reckon with the pain of his loss and gives him a chance to say goodbye to his son, something he couldn't do because of his passions taking him to London.
It gives Agnes a chance to see an avatar of her son again, allowing her to reflect on his life and death. While she was left wailing in pain over his earlier death, she is quietly moved by the play and can see a vision of her son peacefully walking off-stage into the darkness. It's a chance to imbue
The ending also speaks to the power of art as a whole, as a way for people of all shapes, sizes, and social classes to come and experience emotion together. The climax's most powerful shot is when Agnes realizes that everyone there is mourning besides her, reaching out to Hamlet in his final moments in grief.
In this way, Hamnet will live on forever. It gives Agnes and William peace in a way that the earlier scenes had denied them, and shows how this will help them accept their otherwise overwhelming grief. It's a moving finale, and one that gives Hamnet an incredibly effective staying power.
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10/10
Release Date
November 26, 2025
Runtime
126 minutes
Director
Chloé Zhao
Writers
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
Cast
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Jessie Buckley
Agnes
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Paul Mescal
Will
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