Tag: Side Character

Laertes Year: 2022 Author: Carly Stevens Length: 208 pages While I rarely see it done, I appreciate the authors who give voice and context to the side characters from famous literary works. I also like adaptations of these works in different settings that show how timeless the story is. While movies like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990) follow the former and The Lion King (1994) follow the latter, one book I have read recently has fused both into a 1920s exploration of what Laertes was doing while the events of Hamlet unfolded in Denmark. The beauty of choosing to follow Laertes is that the (obviously titular) book about him explores the life of a man with royal connections, but who doesn’t fully rely on them to get ahead in life. Even without the intro flashback and eventual conflict with Hamlet, there’s a coming of age in Laertes that feels distinctly of the high society in the 1920s era. The old-school academic setting combined with...