Six possible sources of inspiration for Shakespeare's Gertrude - besides Saxo Grammaticus & Belleforest
WHAT WAS SHAKESPEARE'S INSPIRATION FOR GERTRUDE
besides Saxo Grammaticus & Belleforest?
Getrude, who after marriage to a great king, too-quickly marries not only a lesser man, but a patricide-murderer, her brother's husband ("incest")?
Or another way to pose the question:
If Shakespeare was using a common theme in history and in his culture to highlight certain controversial figures on which many in his audiences had opinions, to tap into their concerns and interests, what might some of these have been?
If Hamlet is in part a commentary on the end of the House of Tudor, then it may help to consider Gertrude as a composite character, made of aspects of various historical figures:
1. Catherine of Valois, who married the lowly Owen Tudor after the death of Henry V.
2. Anne Boleyn, mother of Queen Elizabeth I, accused of incest.
3. Mary, Queen of Scots, who married her second husband’s alleged murderer.
4. Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, who, six months after Henry’s death, married Thomas Seymour, her old flame.
5. Henry VIII, who married Anne Boleyn five days after annulment of his marriage to Catherine Aragon;
who was courting Jane Seymour a month before investigation, charges, and arrest of Anne Boleyn;
and who married Catherine Howard 19 days after annulment of marriage to Anne of Cleves.
Henry may also have been inspiration for Claudius.
6. Some claim the play, set in Denmark, gives a nod to Anne of Denmark, wife of James I.
And of course, there are limits (intentional fallacy?) to speculation about the possible inspirations for an author....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IMAGES:
Top left:
Portrait of Catherine of Valois (or Catherine of France), Countess of Charolais. French School /
Unidentified painter. Private collection, Switzerland. Public domain via
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Catherine_of_Valois,_countess_of_Charolais.jpg
Top center:
Anne Boleyn, Near contemporary painting of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle, c. 1550. English school. Public domain via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AnneBoleynHever.jpg
Top right:
Mary, Queen of Scots in white mourning for her husband. School of François Clouet (1510–1572), circa 1560. Public domain via https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mary,_queen_of_Scots,_in_mourning.jpg
Bottom left:
A portrait of Catherine Parr (1512–1548), sixth and last wife of Henry VIII of England (by anonymous?), late 16th century, National Portrait Gallery. Public domain in the United States.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catherine_Parr_from_NPG.jpg
Bottom center:
King Henry VIII.
After Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543), c.1540s.
Art Gallery of South Australia. Public domain via
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:After_Hans_HOLBEIN_the_younger_-_King_Henry_VIII_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Bottom right:
Anne of Denmark. Attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger (1561–1636), between 1628 and 1644 / circa 1612. National Portrait Gallery. Public domain via
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anne_of_Denmark_in_mourning.jpg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
[Originally posted around the week of 1/15/18
on LinkedIn]
besides Saxo Grammaticus & Belleforest?
Getrude, who after marriage to a great king, too-quickly marries not only a lesser man, but a patricide-murderer, her brother's husband ("incest")?
Or another way to pose the question:
If Shakespeare was using a common theme in history and in his culture to highlight certain controversial figures on which many in his audiences had opinions, to tap into their concerns and interests, what might some of these have been?
If Hamlet is in part a commentary on the end of the House of Tudor, then it may help to consider Gertrude as a composite character, made of aspects of various historical figures:
1. Catherine of Valois, who married the lowly Owen Tudor after the death of Henry V.
2. Anne Boleyn, mother of Queen Elizabeth I, accused of incest.
3. Mary, Queen of Scots, who married her second husband’s alleged murderer.
4. Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, who, six months after Henry’s death, married Thomas Seymour, her old flame.
5. Henry VIII, who married Anne Boleyn five days after annulment of his marriage to Catherine Aragon;
who was courting Jane Seymour a month before investigation, charges, and arrest of Anne Boleyn;
and who married Catherine Howard 19 days after annulment of marriage to Anne of Cleves.
Henry may also have been inspiration for Claudius.
6. Some claim the play, set in Denmark, gives a nod to Anne of Denmark, wife of James I.
And of course, there are limits (intentional fallacy?) to speculation about the possible inspirations for an author....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IMAGES:
Top left:
Portrait of Catherine of Valois (or Catherine of France), Countess of Charolais. French School /
Unidentified painter. Private collection, Switzerland. Public domain via
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Catherine_of_Valois,_countess_of_Charolais.jpg
Top center:
Anne Boleyn, Near contemporary painting of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle, c. 1550. English school. Public domain via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AnneBoleynHever.jpg
Top right:
Mary, Queen of Scots in white mourning for her husband. School of François Clouet (1510–1572), circa 1560. Public domain via https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mary,_queen_of_Scots,_in_mourning.jpg
Bottom left:
A portrait of Catherine Parr (1512–1548), sixth and last wife of Henry VIII of England (by anonymous?), late 16th century, National Portrait Gallery. Public domain in the United States.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catherine_Parr_from_NPG.jpg
Bottom center:
King Henry VIII.
After Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543), c.1540s.
Art Gallery of South Australia. Public domain via
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:After_Hans_HOLBEIN_the_younger_-_King_Henry_VIII_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Bottom right:
Anne of Denmark. Attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger (1561–1636), between 1628 and 1644 / circa 1612. National Portrait Gallery. Public domain via
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anne_of_Denmark_in_mourning.jpg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
[Originally posted around the week of 1/15/18
on LinkedIn]
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