Brutal punishment isn’t conducive to building relationships and can turn to anger, which is how John seemed to me. His son didn’t copy the harsh discipline, but perhaps his father’s gruffness turned Will toward his creative ideas, making him more introspective and focused on his passion, leaving no room for his family. Perhaps he didn’t want to repeat his father’s harsh manner, and instead - with his wife’s encouragement - found a way to get to London, driven by creative ideas, and selfishness. Hamnet wanted to see his father more, but we can’t determine if his father’s absence would have had an impact on the boy. Today we know that healthy emotions displayed by adults in their inner circle have tremendous impact on kids’ emotions and self-esteem. Perhaps the Bard was thinking about the need to follow his own path instead of being like his father and do as expected, and he was a bitter man.
The world would be diminished without Shakespeare’s genius. His family’s great loss was the world’s gain.