Rating: 
Summary: Pre-Hamlet
Review: "Gertrude and Claudius" is a historical fantasy loosely based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The novel is divided into three parts, between which the time period jumps, coming ever closer to the point at which Shakespeare's play begins. It could be viewed as Updike's attempt to do a prose prequel to "Hamlet".In the Danish Court, Horwentil marries Gerutha. Horwentil becomes King of Denmark, but Gerutha becomes increasingly attracted to Horwentil's brother, Feng. As the reader progresses from one section of the book to the next, the character names Updike uses become more recognisably those in "Hamlet", and thus the story becomes more familiar. "Gertrude and Claudius" is entertaining enough, without being a spectacularly good piece of fiction. Updike's prose is of variable quality, hence: "She tipped up her face to remind him who she was, and he quizzically brushed the knuckles of one hand against her cheek, where his mail had gouged in red the gridded impression of its links." Enough to turn any girl's head. In all, I prefer Updike when he remains at home - in the USA. G Rodgers
Rating:
Summary: Pre-Hamlet
Review: "Gertrude and Claudius" is a historical fantasy loosely based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The novel is divided into three parts, between which the time period jumps, coming ever closer to the point at which Shakespeare's play begins. It could be viewed as Updike's attempt to do a prose prequel to "Hamlet". In the Danish Court, Horwentil marries Gerutha. Horwentil becomes King of Denmark, but Gerutha becomes increasingly attracted to Horwentil's brother, Feng. As the reader progresses from one section of the book to the next, the character names Updike uses become more recognisably those in "Hamlet", and thus the story becomes more familiar. "Gertrude and Claudius" is entertaining enough, without being a spectacularly good piece of fiction. Updike's prose is of variable quality, hence: "She tipped up her face to remind him who she was, and he quizzically brushed the knuckles of one hand against her cheek, where his mail had gouged in red the gridded impression of its links." Enough to turn any girl's head. In all, I prefer Updike when he remains at home - in the USA. G Rodgers
Rating: 
Summary: The king was irate
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Updike infused with the Bard's spirit : gorgeous
Review: Gertrude and Claudius serves as concise prequel to Hamlet, pivoting around the basic idea (quoted from G. Wilson Knight in Updike's Afterword): "Claudius seems a capable King, Gertrude a noble Queen, Ophelia a treasure of sweetness, Polonius a tedious but not evil counselor, Laertes a generic young man. Hamlet pulls them all to death." This seems promising material for a novel, yet Gertrude and Claudius, for all fascination of its titular couple, remains frustratingly unengaging. Gertrude particularly is vivid, believable, and sympathetic, yet this novel built around her frequently drags, over a very slender length. I suspect the problem lies in Updike's style being suited neither to the era (at least as we're used to reading of it) or Shakespeare's tragedy. His obsessively detailed eye reaps wonders when feasting upon the internal workings of the Queen & her lover, yet turned outward upon the chambers and towers and objects d'art of Elisore it eventually bores. We know from so many experiences of reading and seeing Hamlet that despite or because of its philosophical heft, this story MOVES. Gertrude and Claudius does not. But it is brief, so if a revisionist and ornate prequel to Hamlet sounds appealing, give Updike a try.
Rating:
Summary: A very interesting look behind Gertrude
Review: Have you ever wondered why Claudius killed Hamlet, Sr. and married Gertrude a month later in Shakespeare's play HAMLET? Updike examines the early life of Gertrude and her loveless marriage with Hamlet. She turns to Claudius for love, and Claudius is banished for having a love affair with the king's wife. The only way Claudius can keep Gertrude is by killing his brother. A brilliant look behind the intents of Gertrude and Claudius! There are many lines hidden in the text that are similar to the lines in the text, so you will be interested to find them! I just read this for my AP English class and thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent precursor to "Hamlet"
Review: In "Gertrude and Claudius", Updike vividly imagines the events leading up to the story told in "Hamlet." The book is divided into three sections, echoing the typical structure of a Shakespearean play: the introduction of Gertrude and the principal players in section one, a conflict that arises in the middle section (in the form of Gertrude's attraction to King Hamlet's brother, Claudius), and a denouement in the final section which resolves the story on an ironic note, while also providing a clever segue into "Hamlet"'s opening scene. The story follows Gertrude's evolution from the impetuous young daughter of King Roderik of Denmark, to the initially unwilling bride of the soon-to-be King Hamlet (he's named Horvendile in the early sections of the book, in order to draw a comparison with "Hamlet"'s earlier source material - the same is done for other characters in the story, but since the device is never fully explained by Updike, it may leave some readers confused), to the amorous lover and eventual wife of Claudius. Updike is very effective at explaining Gertrude's mindset; she comes alive for the reader in a way that she never quite did in "Hamlet". She is very much the main focus of this story (although, starting in section two, young Prince Hamlet is forever lurking in the shadows, a glum harbinger of events yet to come) and Updike astonishes us by deftly proving that Gertrude is a sympathetic character. After reading Updike's book, I think it will be difficult to look at "Hamlet" in quite the same way again. He's added so much rich back-story to the characters and events, that he's not only created an excellent story, but he's also enriched "Hamlet" itself. Still, I can't bring myself to give the book five stars, mainly because Updike's peculiar mixture of modern-day and Elizabethan prose is at times clunky. But if you're an admirer of "Hamlet" in particular or Shakespeare in general (and I do think you need to have had some exposure to "Hamlet" in order to fully enjoy Updike's story), then give this story a try.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent precursor to "Hamlet"
Review: In "Gertrude and Claudius", Updike vividly imagines the events leading up to the story told in "Hamlet." The book is divided into three sections, echoing the typical structure of a Shakespearean play: the introduction of Gertrude and the principal players in section one, a conflict that arises in the middle section (in the form of Gertrude's attraction to King Hamlet's brother, Claudius), and a denouement in the final section which resolves the story on an ironic note, while also providing a clever segue into "Hamlet"'s opening scene. The story follows Gertrude's evolution from the impetuous young daughter of King Roderik of Denmark, to the initially unwilling bride of the soon-to-be King Hamlet (he's named Horvendile in the early sections of the book, in order to draw a comparison with "Hamlet"'s earlier source material - the same is done for other characters in the story, but since the device is never fully explained by Updike, it may leave some readers confused), to the amorous lover and eventual wife of Claudius. Updike is very effective at explaining Gertrude's mindset; she comes alive for the reader in a way that she never quite did in "Hamlet". She is very much the main focus of this story (although, starting in section two, young Prince Hamlet is forever lurking in the shadows, a glum harbinger of events yet to come) and Updike astonishes us by deftly proving that Gertrude is a sympathetic character. After reading Updike's book, I think it will be difficult to look at "Hamlet" in quite the same way again. He's added so much rich back-story to the characters and events, that he's not only created an excellent story, but he's also enriched "Hamlet" itself. Still, I can't bring myself to give the book five stars, mainly because Updike's peculiar mixture of modern-day and Elizabethan prose is at times clunky. But if you're an admirer of "Hamlet" in particular or Shakespeare in general (and I do think you need to have had some exposure to "Hamlet" in order to fully enjoy Updike's story), then give this story a try.
Rating:
Summary: A prelude to Hamlet
Review: John Updike is a witty man. He is quite funny, and I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at a reading held last fall at Cornell University. This book, however, loses much of the natural comedy and beauty that Updike has. Updike is like a modern day Nabokov, someone who indulges himself with wordplay and word study. The linguistics behind all of their conscious choices is absolutely incredible and stunning. This is definitely evident here [for there will be many a time that you will run over to your dictionary in order to consult the meaning (or multiple meanings) of the diction. And it's not because Updike sees himself as better than the average man; he just enjoys playing around.] "Gertrude and Claudius" does not lend itself to that much folly though, for it is a story that has been passed down through Scandinavian mythology. The characters are not his; he has the oral tradition, Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard, and even "The Lion King" working against him, throwing in some sort of opposing philosophy. The fact is that they were there first, so he has to work doubly as hard in order to get his point heard. And he does a good job of it. It is an intriguing story, for most people would like to know what exactly happened before the court of Claudius took reign. The power exhibited by Gertrude will also be another point of controversy, for in the play by Shakespeare, she seems like a flake; here, she has a mind of her own, and is not anyone's pawn. In fact, Gertrude is the most redeeming quality of this novel. Updike does a wonderful job painting the portrait of her; however, it would be interesting to know how close this information given to us really coincides with the original story itself. And it's not that that is a bad thing, for fiction writers should adapt works in order to make them pleasing and interesting for them to write. But Gertrude would absolutely be a great topic of conversation over a cup of coffee in a cafe. Worth a read, especially if you are a fanatic about "Hamlet".
Rating:
Summary: A prelude to Hamlet
Review: John Updike is a witty man. He is quite funny, and I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at a reading held last fall at Cornell University. This book, however, loses much of the natural comedy and beauty that Updike has. Updike is like a modern day Nabokov, someone who indulges himself with wordplay and word study. The linguistics behind all of their conscious choices is absolutely incredible and stunning. This is definitely evident here [for there will be many a time that you will run over to your dictionary in order to consult the meaning (or multiple meanings) of the diction. And it's not because Updike sees himself as better than the average man; he just enjoys playing around.] "Gertrude and Claudius" does not lend itself to that much folly though, for it is a story that has been passed down through Scandinavian mythology. The characters are not his; he has the oral tradition, Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard, and even "The Lion King" working against him, throwing in some sort of opposing philosophy. The fact is that they were there first, so he has to work doubly as hard in order to get his point heard. And he does a good job of it. It is an intriguing story, for most people would like to know what exactly happened before the court of Claudius took reign. The power exhibited by Gertrude will also be another point of controversy, for in the play by Shakespeare, she seems like a flake; here, she has a mind of her own, and is not anyone's pawn. In fact, Gertrude is the most redeeming quality of this novel. Updike does a wonderful job painting the portrait of her; however, it would be interesting to know how close this information given to us really coincides with the original story itself. And it's not that that is a bad thing, for fiction writers should adapt works in order to make them pleasing and interesting for them to write. But Gertrude would absolutely be a great topic of conversation over a cup of coffee in a cafe. Worth a read, especially if you are a fanatic about "Hamlet".
Rating:
Summary: Clever but Light
Review: The idea of a prequel to Hamlet, rooted in the same source material that Shakespeare used when writing his play, is a clever one. But this book is no Hamlet. This is a light and quick read, a stray speculation revolving around Gertrude and her affair with her husband's brother that precedes the action in Hamlet and culminates with Claudius's telling of the play's early scenes. It is fun because it illustrates just how fully do Shakespeare's moral perspectives on Claudius's treachery, Gertrude's perfidy, and Hamlet's callow innocence color our interpretation of the events in Elsinore. Updike shows us that there is another way to accept the characters. "Putting aside the murder being covered up, Claudius seems a capable king, Gertrude a noble queen, Ophelia a treasure of sweetness, Polonius a tedious but not evil counsellor, Laertes a generic young man. Hamlet pulls them all into death". Of course, the murder and its cover-up are precisely what Shakespeare refuses to "put aside", and resorts to the stratagem of the talking ghost to reveal the otherwise perfect crime. Shakespeare's story of unnatural deceit and its cleansing through the shedding of the blood of both guilty and innocent is thrilling and profound precisely because of the weight of its moral judgements and the depth of its characters. Updike gives us the latter without the former. He deftly and patiently draws the characters of Hamlet senior, Claudius, Polonius, and Gertrude so we can plainly see their motivations and, by default, we may accept their choices as natural, if not honorable, ones. It's a not terribly seductive game, to excuse fratricide because the victim is a bore whose wife deserves better. In the end, Shakespeare got the moral compass about right. Updike's Claudius and Gertrude are pathetic, but hardly sympathetic. The book is a fun read, because it turns Hamlet's characters on their heads and lets us examine them from a new angle, but I'll reread Hamlet before I reread Updike.
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