by John Updike
First published 2000
Princess Gertrude grows up as King Rorik's daughter in ancient Denmark, wed through arrangement to the man who becomes King Hamlet. Years pass in her dutiful marriage until her husband's younger brother returns to Elsinore. Claudius has spent decades traveling foreign lands, nursing his secret desire for Gertrude while trying to forget her. Now middle-aged, Gertrude finds herself drawn to this dark-eyed dreamer who has always loved her from afar. Their affair unfolds against the backdrop of a medieval court, where Polonius watches and schemes, and Prince Hamlet remains largely absent from castle life. As passion overtakes duty, Gertrude and Claudius navigate the dangerous territory between forbidden love and political survival. Their choices set in motion the tragic events that will later consume the Danish royal family, revealing the human desires and family fractures that Shakespeare only suggested.
Genres: drama, romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-romance
Setting: Denmark, Elsinore
Period: medieval
Paperback · Hamish Hamilton