Hamnet

A forest-dwelling healer and fiercely devoted mother who defies social norms to protect her family. Her herbal lore and intuition guide her, even as she bears the social stigma of being called a forest witch's daughter. Her love for William anchors the family, though their bond is tested by distance and tragedy.

A bright, curious boy who longs to emulate his father’s theater dreams, and who shares a close, playful bond with his mother and sister. He faces illness with courage and imagines stories of his own, before dying of plague. His death becomes the catalyst that shapes his father’s Hamlet and the family’s future memory.

An ambitious, gifted writer whose return to London pulls him away from Stratford’s woods. He struggles with parental and marital tensions while seeking a voice for his plays. His work on Hamlet grows out of personal loss and a desire to honor his son.

Shakespeare’s loyal step-brother who supports the family during hard times. He shares in the humor and warmth of village life and stands as a stabilizing influence when tensions rise. He helps keep the family intact through the deaths and upheavals.

Twin sister to Hamnet, she embodies tenderness and resilience. She enjoys mischief with her brother and offers a counterpoint to the drama around the family’s grief. She survives the plague episode and remains a key emotional anchor for Agnes and Will.

William’s cautious and firm mother who imposes boundaries to protect her son’s future. She resists Agnes’s forest ways yet supports her son’s ambitions, reflecting the era’s parental pressures and expectations. Her guidance frames the family dynamics in Stratford.

A businessman who views William’s artistic dreams with skepticism and a tendency to discipline. His harshness contrasts with Agnes’s tenderness and underscores the tension between commerce and art in the family’s life. His pushback scenes reveal the stakes of choosing art over a secure path.