William Shakespeare is back in the news thanks to a new Oscar-tipped movie, Hamnet, and StFX English professor and Shakespearean expert Dr. Laura Estill appeared on CBC Radio’s Day 6 on November 29th to share her insights.
A producer from Day 6, the weekly news magazine show hosted by Brett Bambury that offers a surprising take on topical issues, reached out to Dr. Estill, who also holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Digital Humanities, for her expertise on Shakespeare and the new adaptation.
Dr. Estill was interviewed about Hamnet, which is set for release later this week. The film, directed by Chloé Zhao and based on Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel of the same name, explores the life of William Shakespeare. Zhao and O’Farrell co-wrote the screenplay.
“Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, called Agnes in this version, when she was pregnant with their first daughter, Susanna,” Dr. Estill explains. “A couple of years later, they had two twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when he was 11 years old, which is the action at the heart of this story.”
Dr. Estill says she enjoyed sharing her perspective on both the novel and the film.
“Shakespeare continues to be relevant today, with new adaptations, translations, and scholarship. The story revisits what we know about Shakespeare's biography and weaves a story of love and grief into the gaps in the evidence,” she notes.
“O’Farrell’s lyrical novel suggests that Shakespeare's play Hamlet reflects a father’s grief for his son; the climax of the book is when Agnes goes to London and sees her husband performing as the ghost of Hamlet's father. The novel ends with the ghost's words that haunt Hamlet: ‘Remember me.’”
Dr. Estill says it was a pleasure to discuss O’Farrell’s novel, which “suggests that we should be both remembering and reimagining Agnes Shakespeare (Anne Hathaway).”
A leading scholar in Shakespeare studies, Dr. Estill has recently published articles and chapters about Shakespeare pedagogy and the history of Shakespearean bibliography. In January, a short monograph she co-wrote with Heidi Craig, Kris L. May, and Dorothy Todd will appear in the Cambridge Elements “Shakespeare and Text” series, titled Collaboration, Technologies, and the History of Shakespearean Bibliography.
“At StFX, I have the pleasure of teaching courses like ENGL 205: Shakespeare Today, which focusses on Shakespeare adaptations like this new movie. Next term I'll be teaching a senior seminar, ENGL 492: Digital Shakespeare, which considers how digital projects shape the questions we ask about Shakespeare and his works.”
Her students, she adds, were thrilled when they learned she would be commenting on the film.
“When I mentioned to my research assistants that I would be talking about this movie, they were very excited because it stars Paul Mescal. He'll be playing the role of William Shakespeare. There is Oscar buzz surrounding Jessie Buckley’s performance as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes.”
The CBC segment is available HERE.
