Hamnet characters

Appears from the start

The eleven-year-old son of Agnes and her husband, and Judith's twin. Restless, affectionate, and easily distracted, he searches Stratford for help when Judith suddenly falls ill and no adult can be found. He feels the special closeness of twinship but cannot understand the danger gathering around his sister.

Appears from the start

Hamnet's mother, known in the historical record as Anne but called Agnes by her family. Raised at Hewlands after her mother's death, she has an unusual attentiveness to plants, animals, illness, and the moods of other people. Her independence makes her an unsettling figure to some neighbors, while her skill with herbal remedies brings others to her door.

Appears from the start

Hamnet's twin sister, usually the bolder and stronger of the pair. At the opening she lies feverish in the family home while Hamnet searches for their mother and grandmother. Her sudden illness draws the household's separated members toward a shared crisis.

Also known as The Latin tutor

First appears in chapter 2

Agnes's husband and the father of Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith. The son of a Stratford glove-maker, he is first seen as a young Latin tutor burdened by his father's debts and violence. He is drawn to Agnes's freedom and strangeness, and she recognizes that his imagination needs a wider life than his family trade allows.

Appears from the start

Agnes and her husband's eldest child. Serious and observant, she is several years older than the twins and often impatient with their private games. She belongs to the practical daily life Agnes maintains in Stratford while her father works in London.

Also known as Mary Shakespeare

Appears from the start

The children's paternal grandmother, a capable and sharp-tongued woman who runs the Henley Street household. She disapproves of Agnes's unconventional habits, yet the two women are bound together by work, family, and the need to manage the damage caused by John.

Also known as John Shakespeare

First appears in chapter 2

The children's paternal grandfather, formerly a prosperous glove-maker and civic official whose illegal dealings and debts have diminished the family. Volatile and controlling, he directs much of his anger at his wife and eldest son.

First appears in chapter 2

Agnes's younger brother at Hewlands, gentle in manner and overshadowed by their older brother. Bartholomew understands Agnes better than most of the household and helps her when her attachment to the Latin tutor places her future in doubt.

First appears in chapter 2

Agnes's stepmother at Hewlands. She has raised Agnes since the death of the girl's mother but regards her stepdaughter's independence, falconry, and knowledge of remedies with suspicion rather than affection.

Appears from the start

John and Mary's younger son, who works in the family glove business. He is part of the crowded Henley Street household and is available to help with errands and practical tasks when illness enters the family.