Jessie Buckley’s ‘Hamnet’ Costumes Use Blood Imagery to Convey Emotion

The costumes in the film adaptation of “Hamnet,” featuring Jessie Buckley as Agnes and directed by Chloe Zhao, are designed to reflect the profound emotional journey of its characters. The film, based on Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel, explores the grief of William Shakespeare (played by Paul Mescal) and his wife after the tragic loss of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet.

Costume designer Malgosia Turzanska creatively utilized the color red to symbolize the emotional states of Agnes throughout the film. “The first image in my head was a giant beating heart muscle, throbbing and pulsing with blood,” she explained. This imagery plays a crucial role in illustrating Agnes’s evolution from a vibrant young woman to a grieving mother.

Red as a Symbol of Transformation

At the beginning of the film, audiences meet Agnes in vibrant red bark cloth while she is in the woods. As her life progresses and she raises children, the red in her wardrobe becomes more muted, signifying a shift in her identity. “She’s less herself and more about her kids,” Turzanska noted. This transformation reaches a critical point with the death of Hamnet during the plague, at which Agnes’s clothing darkens, reflecting her deepening sorrow.

Turzanska highlighted a pivotal scene when Shakespeare prepares to leave for London. Agnes is seen in a brown smock with a gray bodice, contrasting sharply with Shakespeare’s elaborate layers. “The idea was that the character had started to get dressed,” Turzanska explained, emphasizing Agnes’s struggle to maintain her identity amidst her grief. “She still has something to live for. She has these other kids, and she started putting herself together, and forgot to put the skirt on.”

The use of color also extends to specific garments, such as a prune-colored skirt that Turzanska describes as resembling a dried scab, further illustrating Agnes’s emotional state. At the film’s conclusion, when Agnes travels to London to see her husband’s play at the Globe Theater, she wears the same dress from a previous scene, now altered to reflect her journey back to herself. “She does end on a red, but it’s no longer that youthful,” Turzanska added, capturing Agnes’s complex emotional landscape.

Shakespeare’s Visual Narrative Through Costume

In her approach to Shakespeare’s costumes, Turzanska sought to diverge from traditional representations of the Bard. “The images that we have in our heads were painted years after his death,” she stated, finding freedom in this knowledge to create a more authentic portrayal. Shakespeare’s clothing features Tudor details, and the emotional weight of his character is expressed through the design elements, such as the use of pinking and slashing in the fabric.

Initially, Shakespeare is dressed in a quilted doublet with small slashes. As the story unfolds and he confronts the loss of Hamnet, these slashes become larger, symbolizing his increasing despair. Turzanska drew inspiration for Shakespeare’s ghostly appearance from various artistic interpretations of “Hamlet.” One significant influence was a sculpture made of cracked clay, which inspired the design of his ghost costume.

Turzanska’s vision culminates in Shakespeare being enveloped in dried clay, signifying vulnerability and raw emotion. “It is revealing him to be raw and open,” she articulated, underlining the importance of costume in conveying the characters’ emotional truths.

The intricate costume design in “Hamnet” thus serves not only to enhance the visual storytelling but also to delve into the deeper themes of love and loss that permeate the narrative. Through the careful selection of colors and fabrics, Turzanska brings to life the internal struggles of Agnes and Shakespeare, allowing audiences to connect with their heart-wrenching journey.