Gertrude and Claudius

by John Updike

Book Overview

John Updikes's nineteenth novel tells the story of Claudius and Gertrude, King and Queen of Denmark, before the action of Shakespeare's Hamlet begins. Employing the nomenclature and certain details of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449006972
• ISBN13: 9780449006979
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Masterful, funny wordsmithing.

This delightful John Updike work so enamored me, I bought 2 more copies for whoever cared to share my good fortune of discovering it. Smaller than most hardcovers, they made for great going away gifts for friends flying over the holidays.

"The King was irate."

With that sentence begins each of the three parts of this novel. Three different Kings, each mad for the only reason that Kings are ever mad: because things are not going in accord with their commanding expectations. And why not? Each of the principal characters in this novel, like Elsinore itself, lives as an island to himself, apart and impenetrable. Not even the Saviour can reach it, for "Christianity turns grim in lands of frost; it is a Mediterranean cult, a religion of the grape." This novel, a precursor to Hamlet (though direct lines from the play surface sporadically), sets the stage for a play less consumed by a singular event and Hamlet's predisposed reaction to it, than by a solitary insecurity that exempts no one from its grip -- certainly not Hamlet, and not his mother or her unbridled lover, his uncle, the new king. The madness of detachment awaits only its apparition when the last line of this novel is reached. By then a new dimension has been given to a classic play.

The king was irate

Gertrude and Claudius is focused on a necessarily small market niche: anyone who has not read and loved Hamlet will not see the need for this story, which is a prequel in three acts to what might be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. And that's a shame.This is a wonderfully written story that convincingly challenges the traditional sympathies we all developed in reading Hamlet, especially regarding Hamlet's cold and calculating mother. Mr. Updike forcefully and dramatically paints a picture of Gertrude as a sweet and decent woman fatally flawed by her attraction to Claudius, her husband's brother. And Claudius plays more than a supporting role here, giving more insight into Hamlet, who at once seems more confused and easier to understand. It all works because of Mr. Updike's wit, insight, and often perfect timing.Gertrude and Claudius is also a scholarly study, based on the same source materials Shakespeare used. In fact, as the plot draws closer to Hamlet's 30th birthday and the start of the play that carries his name, Mr. Updike changes to progressively newer sources. That creates a story is "historically" accurate (well, as much as a story based on ancient legends can be). Incidentally, there is an interesting and slightly confusing aspect to that as well: Claudius starts out as Feng, and then becomes Fengon before finally being called Claudius; for his part, Hamlet starts out as Amleth. Each section starts with the words "The king was irate," but in each case there is a different king -- Horwendil (Amleth's father), then Fengon, then Hamlet.But one of the most compelling aspects to the story is the fact that it was written at all. Mr. Updike is a writer near the end of his career and with nothing left to prove. He has excelled writing several genres of fiction, criticism, poetry, and commentary. And yet this story shows that he is still experimenting, still challenging his abilities.

Another turn at Hamlet

Skillful writing will out. Updike's premise of merging the ancient legends of the Danish court into an intimate insight of Gerutha/Geruthe/Gertrude and the men in her royal existence is fascinating. His storyteller's finesse respects the historical reality of necessary royal matchmaking with Gerutha as the center of the story. Taking the point of view of the mother of Hamlet, that mad Danish prince, Updike reveals Gertrude as a woman with the same passions of women of today. Updike's characterization of her as fearing her only child and sensing his ability to bring about doom makes her a uniquely sympathetic woman. Gertrude's world is at the mercy of her men: first her father and his Lord Chamberlain, then her husbands, and then her son. However, her attempt at experiencing life within those confines makes for a timeless story.Getting to know Gerutha more intimately means getting to know all of her men more intimately. Rorik, Horwendil, Coriambus, Amleth and Feng become very real people as they develop in their relation to the queen and emerge in the familiar names of Hamlet, Polonius, and Claudius. This little tome is an easy read, one that begs the reader to keep going. The use of three parts to show the progress of the tale from the Latin record into the German and finally the English adds to the story's richness as it continues over the centuries into the time when it becomes the Shakespearian tragedy known as Hamlet. Updike obviously loves the English language and his love affair as a mighty wordsmith stands him in high regard. I highly recommend any Shakespearian fan to try this prequel on for size. For anyone who has studied the play, read the Stoppard version, seen the Olivier, Gibson, and Branagh film versions, this book just adds more gravy to the tradition. Bravo!

Yearning and magical

This is one of those books which I never wanted to end. I"d ration my reading to delay the inevitable. Updike has taken a tale we all know so well - Hamlet, Ophelia, Polonius have always seemed more historical than literary - and made us believe that this time the tragedy would be prevented. While of course we know that nothing will change, that Shakespeare arrives after the last page to bring this tale into history. Meeting the Danish Princess Gerutha in the ancient Danish court, we are struck with her intelligence and her strength. We wish her well. Her stolid husband, priggish son, exotic brother-in-law, and sycophantic advisor are the embryonic Shakespearians. We read with fascination as they develop into their fated roles. Neither Amleth, Hamblett, or Hamlet is a sympathetic character. For a while, Claudius (nee Feng in part one)is not a villain, merely an adventurer playing at seduction. This reader even felt, for a time, an Arthurian tragedy unfolding, rather than the familiar Shakespearean one. But"history" cannot be rewritten. Updike gives us an excellent feel for the politics of Scandinavia at the time, the chill Danish landscape, and for the court at Elsinore. And through Feng's voice we learn of the courts in Spain, in Italy, in Constantinople. A warmer world is brought alive through Feng and in part it is the lure of this world that helps seduce Gerutha. This is a small and reward-ing masterpiece.