The Connection Between Hamnet, Hamlet, and a Father’s Grief
What happens when grief is too large to stay silent? In this episode of the Everyone Dies podcast, we explore the death of a child and how profound loss reshapes the human heart. Inspired by the film Hamnet, author Neil Perry Gordon shares his journey of losing his son, Sam, and how grief often finds another form in art and creativity. This is a conversation about learning how love continues after death and why grief changes the imagination forever.
A month after we started this podcast in 2020, Charlie’s son Michael was murdered. Last year at this time we published a podcast, written by Charlie, titled “When your child is murdered”. We deliberately did not say Michael died, because that implies something very different than the senselessness and harshness of murder. Michael was 23 at the time he was shot, and we mourn along with Charlie and Michael’s mother, Kim. We dedicate this second week of May podcast to Michael and his family…and to all the families grieving the untimely deaths of their children.
In This Episode:
00:00 – Intro – Memorial Episode, 6 Years Since the Murder of Charlie’s Son
00:55 – Reading by Neil Perry: “Hamnet, Hamlet and the loss of my son”
10:14 – Intro to S6E7 Rebroadcast: Grieving a Child That Was Murdered
11:58 – Road Trip, New Hampshire
13:51 – Recipe: Poutin
15:41 – Remembering Michael, Charlie’s Murdered Son
23:55 – Eric Clapton: Tears in Heaven
25:48 – Outro
In this deeply personal episode of the Everyone Dies podcast, we explore the death of a child, and the haunting way profound loss reshapes the human heart. Through reflections on grief, fatherhood, memory, and creativity, we examine how sorrow often finds another form, in stories, art, music, and the search for meaning after devastating loss.
This is not a conversation about “moving on.” It is about learning how love continues after death, and why grief changes the imagination forever.
We discuss:
- The emotional connection between Hamnet and Hamlet
- How parents survive the death of a child
- Why grief often appears indirectly through creativity
- The difference between healing and continuation
- How art can help grieving people feel less alone
This episode speaks to anyone carrying loss, loving someone who is gone, or trying to understand why grief leaves fingerprints on everything we create.
References:
When Loss Becomes Art – Neil Perry Gordon
Resources:
- Historical Fiction | Neil Perry Gordon
- Historical Fiction | Neil Perry Gordon Blog
- Neil Perry Gordon – NOVELS THAT ILLUMINATE | Substack
Related Episodes:
- S6E7: Traumatic Grief, Grieving a Child that Was Murdered
- S1E52: Coping with a Child’s Death
- S6E34: Surviving the Waves: Tips on How to Live Alongside Grief
- S1E12: Traumatic Grief
- S4E39: Traumatic Grief: What it is and How to Find a Therapist to Help Manage It
- S6E45: When Closure Isn’t Possible: How to Find a Way Forward Through Grief
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