Ophelia:
Queen of Denmark written by Jackie French (Harper Collins) PBK RRP
$16.99 ISBN 9780732298524
Reviewed by
Sharon McGuinness
Following on
from her interpretation of Juliet Capulet, Jackie French now presents another
imaginative view of one of Shakespeare’s female characters – Ophelia from
‘Hamlet’.
Usually
presented as the tragic maiden betrothed to Prince Hamlet, French presents us
with an alternative view of Ophelia, which certainly proves a useful
accompaniment to Shakespeare’s play.
King Fortinbras’
ghost presents himself to six-year-old Ophelia and tells her how his kingdom
was lost to a man who tricked him into betting his kingdom on a sword fight. He
must now roam the world until avenged. ‘Revenge is a dish that sits bitter in
the stomach, even if the first taste is sweet.’
Fortinbras tells
Ophelia the qualities of a good queen and tells Ophelia that she would make a
good queen, thus sowing that desire within the girl. Ten years later she is on
a path to achieving this after the death of King Hamlet and in her developing
relationship with Queen Gertrude and Gertrude’s son, Hamlet.
When Hamlet
discovers his new stepfather Uncle Claudius murdered his father he is set on a
path of revenge, enhanced by his pretended madness – a cover to protect his own
life.
Ophelia is
unsure of Hamlet’s sanity and his love and a series of deaths occur, beginning
with Ophelia’s father Polonius, the Lord Chancellor.
If Hamlet is
able to feign madness to divert his suspicious uncle, then Ophelia can do the
same – even faking her own death.
With the deaths
of Hamlet, Ophelia’s brother Laertes, the king and queen, we are left with a
final scene of hope – of Ophelia becoming Queen of Denmark after all with the
new King Fortinbras. The story has turned full circle, the throne restored.
With
Shakespeare’s play as the background, French overlays another story, one which
celebrates the ingenuity and power of women. The book resonates with history
and within it French weaves titbits of cheese recipes and references.
This is a
thoroughly enjoyable read, which lends itself easily to student book club or
class study. Readers of I Am Juliet and
Ophelia will certainly look forward
to French’s continuation of the series in 2016 with The Diary of William Shakespeare, Gent and Third Witch in 2016.
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