Hamnet, Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Hamnet.

Were you able to get through this section without crying? It was a hard part to get through. I never want to start sobbing while reading at the Circulation Desk, but this book almost had me doing just that!

It was really hard to experience all of Agnes's emotions as she battled the fever with Judith, only to have the fever move to Hamnet. There was such hope when Judith started to get better, but then, Hamnet got so sick so fast. Agnes was blindsided by both illnesses, but Hamnet's was more shocking since her attention was completely on Judith as he began to show symptoms. It just was all so sad. I can't even imagine how hopeless Agnes felt. 

The cures that the physician offered were really something. A dried toad applied to the abdomen is a really interesting way to cure a disease. I thought it was really tense when the physician and Agnes did not agree with each other. It did seem like Agnes knew a lot about medicine, so it makes sense that she didn't like when the man had a different plan. But, it was still stressful to see them disagree. What did you think about the fact that Mary didn't throw away the toad? She put it on the high shelf where Agnes couldn't see it. I thought it was interesting that Mary trusted Agnes and her cures but wanted to keep the physician cure just in case. 

I really couldn't believe when Agnes delivered her first baby in the forest. She really was determined to do what she wanted to do. Whenever I read about childbirth long ago, I don't understand how anyone survived. Childbirth was so incredibly dangerous back then. I can't believe that Agnes did it all alone, and she did it outside. It just boggles the mind. 

What did you think about the chapter where we saw the journey of the flea that ended up giving Judith the pestilence? It was wild to imagine how a flea could make such a journey and cause so much damage. It's such a little thing. Judith had to be at exactly the right place at exactly the right time to get sick. It was really interesting to see how all of the parts fell into place. Did you feel like this chapter took you out of the narrative or did you enjoy it? 

Throughout this section, Agnes keeps remembering how she had a vision of her deathbed with two children standing at the end of it. There were so many instances where it seemed like Judith was the one who wasn't going to make it. She was weak at birth, she seemed to be not as hearty as Hamnet through their early childhood, and she gets sick first. Were you surprised by Agnes's vision? How would you have interpreted it if you were her? 

Were you surprised when Hamnet seemingly took the sickness and the death sentence from his sister? He decided that he couldn't live without her, and then, he tricked death into thinking that he was Judith. I couldn't believe that such a young boy was able to make such a big sacrifice. He was so brave. I found it hard to read that part. It was just so sad. 

Agnes and Will's relationship continued to be a little confusing. It was good that she found work for him and encouraged him to go to London, but it was sad that they spent so much time apart. It was really sad that they had to write to Shakespeare to tell him that Judith was sick, and then, he misses Hamnet's death. It just was sad to me that he was so far away. It was interesting Shakespeare, the most famous person from this story, wasn't the focus at all. He's not really in the book very much. I liked being able to get to know Agnes and the kids. 

Are you nervous to keep reading? We know that the last section isn't going to be very happy. It can't be. What do you think Shakespeare will think and feel once he makes it back home? I can't imagine missing that kind of family event. 

Before you go, check out the video below that talks about the filming locations for the movie adaptation. Isn't it cool that they found such a neat town to film in?

I hope you're able to finish the book for next week! Make sure to let me know what you thought of this section in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you!