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Gertrude and Claudius
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Plot Summary of Gertrude and Claudius
"The book is a prequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. It tells the story of Gertrude's affair with Claudius (her brother-in-law) and Claudius' murder of King Hamlet (Gertrude's husband). It ends where Shakespeare's play begins."
Tom Adair, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Gertrude and Claudius
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - distant past/middle ages
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - love triangle/polygon - seduction (yum!)
Political/social activism Yes
Plotlet: - affirmative action
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Father (or standin) - Son - Brother - Husband
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
Age: - 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - Scandinavia
Ice Caps/Sea? Yes
Where? - Ocean
Forest? Yes
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - actual description of hetero sex - descript. of female anat. (the big B's) - descript. of female anat. (the big V) - descript. of nude males (the big P)
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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John Updike Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Nathaniel Ford  

SCHOLARS:
Charles B. Owen  


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