Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, was only 11 when he died in August, 1596. There are echos of what the boy meant to the Bard, notably in his play Hamlet (the names were interchangeable in Elizabethan England). When you read the work in the context of the child’s death, many of the words bear richer meaning. Indeed, the very last thing Hamlet says is, “Remember me!”. But an even more poignant speech still is from the history play, King John, when Constance says...
© 2024 John Oliver
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