Gertrude And Claudius, John Updike

BARD STORY Updike's latest is a prologue to one of Shakespeare's finest

EW's GRADE
B-

Details Writer: John Updike; Genres: Fiction, History; Publisher: Knopf

Court intrigue follows from animal instinct in Gertrude and Claudius, John Updike's 19th novel -- a prologue to ''Hamlet'' that reimagines how things went rotten in Denmark. We meet Gertrude, the prince's rosy mum, as a submissive teen virgin, a ruler bound by bloodlines to marry King Hamlet. Years pass, and fixated on the ''thrilling freedom'' of his brother, Claudius, she plunges into infidelity, thus treason, inspiring murder most foul.

Updike is powerfully alert to the rhetorical schemes of persuasion and self-deception, but there's something deadeningly rhetorical about his whole project. It's as if this master stylist has, for exercise, simply pumped his old themes through a Bardolatrous time machine. The result is a highly intelligent romance novel.

Originally posted Mar 08, 2000
You Might Also Like

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining