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Bartholomew is Agnes’s younger brother and the only son of the farmer and his first wife, Rowan. When his father dies, Bartholomew inherits the farm, with the provision that his stepmother Joan be permitted to live in the house until her death. He tolerates her as best he can but has little love for the harsh woman and her ongoing efforts to control him. Bartholomew, like his sister, is a quiet and knowing man. He is deeply connected to nature through the farm, and he believes in the power of hard work. He and his sister have such a deep connection that they seem to communicate telepathically; he understands what she is thinking even when no one else does. He regards his brother-in-law, the tutor, as small, soft, and useless, but he still respects Agnes’s decision to marry him, knowing that his sister is seldom wrong in her judgments of people. He is a key source of support for Agnes when Hamnet dies, and he is the one who accompanies her to London to see her husband’s play.
Bartholomew Quotes in Hamnet
The Hamnet quotes below are all either spoken by Bartholomew or refer to Bartholomew . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
“Something about rain. And branches. But I couldn’t properly make it out.”
Bartholomew regards him for a second or two, turning these words over and over in his mind. Rain and branches. Branches. Rain. Then he lifts his crook and tucks it into his belt.
“Get up,” he says.
The husband is still speaking, more to himself than anyone else. “She was here this morning and then she wasn’t,” he is saying. “The Fates have intervened and swept her away from me, as if on a tide, and I have no idea how to find her, no idea where to look and—”
“I do.”
“—I shall not rest until I find her, until we are—” The husband stops short and raises his head. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“How?” he demands. “How can you know her mind so quickly and yet I, who am married to her, cannot begin—”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14
Quotes
And now the moment has arrived. Agnes conjugates it: he is going, he will be gone, he will go. She has put these circumstances together; she has set it all in motion, as if she were the puppeteer, hidden behind a screen, gently pulling on the strings of her wooden people, easing and guiding them on where to go. She asked Bartholomew to speak to John, then waited for John to speak to her husband. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t got Bartholomew to plant the idea in John’s head. She has created this moment—no one else—and yet, now it is happening, she finds that it is entirely at odds with what she desires.
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Bartholomew Quotes in Hamnet
The Hamnet quotes below are all either spoken by Bartholomew or refer to Bartholomew . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
“Something about rain. And branches. But I couldn’t properly make it out.”
Bartholomew regards him for a second or two, turning these words over and over in his mind. Rain and branches. Branches. Rain. Then he lifts his crook and tucks it into his belt.
“Get up,” he says.
The husband is still speaking, more to himself than anyone else. “She was here this morning and then she wasn’t,” he is saying. “The Fates have intervened and swept her away from me, as if on a tide, and I have no idea how to find her, no idea where to look and—”
“I do.”
“—I shall not rest until I find her, until we are—” The husband stops short and raises his head. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“How?” he demands. “How can you know her mind so quickly and yet I, who am married to her, cannot begin—”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14
Quotes
And now the moment has arrived. Agnes conjugates it: he is going, he will be gone, he will go. She has put these circumstances together; she has set it all in motion, as if she were the puppeteer, hidden behind a screen, gently pulling on the strings of her wooden people, easing and guiding them on where to go. She asked Bartholomew to speak to John, then waited for John to speak to her husband. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t got Bartholomew to plant the idea in John’s head. She has created this moment—no one else—and yet, now it is happening, she finds that it is entirely at odds with what she desires.
