BAFTA and Oscar nominee Hamnet boosts Shakespeare heritage visits

The success of the film Hamnet, nominated for BAFTA and the Oscar for best film, is drawing a significant influx of tourists to Stratford-upon-Avon, where the childhood home of William Shakespeare is located, as well as the house of Anne Hathaway, the bard’s wife, Reuters reported.

Normally, around 250,000 visitors from the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, China and other parts of the world visit these attractions every year, according to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the organization responsible for managing the historic sites dedicated to Shakespeare, including the place in Stratford-upon-Avon where the playwright died in 1616, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Visitors are arriving in large numbers this year thanks to the film Hamnet, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Maggie O'Farrell, published in 2020. The story focuses on the relationship between Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, also known as Agnes, as well as the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, in 1596.

“Visitor numbers have increased by about 15% to 20% across all sites since the film’s release in January. I believe this trend will continue throughout the year,” said Richard Patterson, chief operating officer of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

“Visitors want to see Anne Hathaway’s house and learn details about how the family used the spaces and the land around the house... you begin to understand what inspired him,” he added.

Hamnet received 11 nominations at the BAFTA Awards, which will be presented on Sunday, including best film and best leading actress – Jessie Buckley, who plays Agnes. The film also received eight nominations at the Academy Awards, with Buckley considered one of the favorites in the best leading actress category.

The action in Hamnet is set in Stratford-upon-Avon and in London, although the film was not shot in Stratford.

“Shakespeare is extremely enigmatic. He writes about humanity, feelings, emotions, conflict, but how do we understand who he is in that story?” said Charlotte Scott, professor of Shakespeare studies and interim director of collections, learning and research at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

“That has driven people to be creative for hundreds and hundreds of years. Where is the heart of Shakespeare? And I think the film has revealed that very beautifully,” she added.

Although not much is known about how the two met, Shakespeare was 18 and Hathaway 26 when they married in 1582. Their daughter Susanna was born in 1583, and the twins Judith and Hamnet in 1585.