Devonport-born star of the stage

JO CLARKE EXPLORES THE LIFE OF THE ACTOR SAMUEL PHELPS

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CHLOE Zhao's historical drama Hamnet is currently impressing cinema audiences with powerful performances by its lead actors Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley.

Based on the 2020 novel by Maggie O'Farrell, the film creates a back story for William Shakespeare's family life - dramatising how he and his wife, Agnes ‘Anne’ Hathaway, dealt with the death of their son, and suggesting this devastating event inspired Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Hamlet.

Hamlet is set in the royal court of Denmark and explores themes of revenge, morality, madness, and political power. The play follows Prince Hamlet, who is grieving the sudden death of his father. His distress deepens when his mother, Queen Gertrude, quickly marries his uncle, Claudius. He then encounters the ghost of his father, who claims he was murdered by Claudius.