Shakespeare and Son

A revealing examination of an under-explored area of Shakespeare studies this work looks at the evidence for the author''s deep and evolving response to the loss of his only son Hamnet.Although many commentators have been intrigued by the possible effects of the death of Shakespeare''s only son Hamnet on the writer Shakespeare and Son: A Journey in Writing and Grieving is the first full-length study examining the evidence that Shakespeare''s later work was deeply involved with this loss. The book is also the first full-length study to explore Shakespeare''s works in light of the psychology of grief combining psychological insights with literary analysis.Specifically the book explores 20 plays from all parts of Shakespeare''s career concentrating on works known to definitely have been written after Hamnet''s death especially Much ado About Nothing Henry the Fourth Part 2 Hamlet Twelfth Night King Lear Pericles The Winter''s Tale Cymbeline and The Tempest. Examining various manifestations of grief in the plays such as anger depression guilt and hope author Keverne Smith argues that the evidence of Shakespeare''s grief is cumulative and evident in repeated structures and patterns in plays written over a period of 14 to 15 years.