Dec 30, 2009

Gertrude and Claudius | Characters

As has been argued throughout the sections on social concerns and themes, Updike, by shifting the narrative perspective, encourages us to take a new look at the supporting characters in Shakespeare's grand drama of revenge.

We are seldom aware how many of our impressions of Hamlet derive from the point of view, a phenomenon in itself somewhat unusual for a play. But upon reading Updike's "prequel," we become conscious that, more than any Shakespearean play with the possible exception of Richard III, Hamlet privileges the protagonist's subjective view of other...