Margaret Atwood’s “Hag-Seed” is a contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” that uses common resonances and dissonances to reshape its meaning. Atwood’s appropriation of the The Tempest cleverly develops intertextual relationships through which the ideas of imprisonment and power are still clearly maintained. Through the theme of imprisonment, both figuratively and literally, the texts reflect their own contemporary values. The Tempest reflects values of the ages of discovery, in particular, colonial expansion. In her transformation, Atwood explores the same theme to show a more contemporary view on ‘the other’. Another concept common to both texts is power. Power acts as a driving force for all characters to further their …show more content…
The ability to transform a text allows for new meaning to be created but still ties the new text back to the original form. "The Tempest" and "Hag-Seed" are two literary works that explore and revolve around the theme of imprisonment in different ways, whether it be figurative or literal. Throughout ‘The Tempest’ each character has been manipulated and created in a way that means that they are confined by imprisonment at some point. Atwood captured the intertwinement of incarceration and imprisonment seen throughout ‘The Tempest’ by amplifying the values within ‘Hag-Seed’. Prospero is imprisoned both figuratively and literally. After imprisoning all the other characters he is exiled to the island “poor cell”, as well as being imprisoned within his own mind by his desire for revenge. “Come I’ll manacle thy neck and feet together; Sea water salt thou drink; thy food shall be the fresh-brook mussels, withered roots, and husks wherein the acorn cradled. Follow.”. Prospero’s knack for thinking up nasty enslavements, really comes to light when he enslaves Ferdinand. He wonders if he was always like this, or if it can be attributed to him getting comfortable as “king of the sandcastle” …show more content…
For Shakespeare, power structures were constructed through the contextual concept of the Great Chain of Being, in which a person's position in society and gender inherently established the level of power that might be attained. Throughout "The Tempest," power is displayed prominently through the character of Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan who was overthrown by his brother Antonio and left stranded on a deserted island with his daughter Miranda. Prospero exerts control and power over lower-class characters. His magical powers allow him to control the spirits on the island and manipulate the actions of those who wash up on its shores. He uses his power to orchestrate a series of events that lead to the restoration of his rightful place as Duke of Milan. "All thy vexations / Were but my trials of thy love, and thou / Hast strangely stood the test.". This quote is spoken by Prospero to his daughter Miranda, and it reveals that he has been manipulating events on the island to test her loyalty and love. This shows the power that a parent can wield over a child, and how that power can be abused if not used responsibly. The cloak and staff he has is a symbolisation and representation of power. The books are also a symbol of Prospero's power and of his desire to escape from the rest of the world. In "Hag-Seed," power is displayed through the character of Felix, a former artistic director who is
Captivity is defined as the state of being imprisoned or confined. A tragic experience is given a whole new perspective from Louise Erdrich 's poem, “Captivity”. Through descriptive imagery and a melancholic tone, we can see the poem and theme develop in her words. Erdrich takes a quote from Mary Rowlandson’s narrative about her imprisonment by the Native Americans and her response to this brings readers a different story based off of the epigraph. Louise Erdrich compiles various literary devices to convey her theme of sympathy, and her poem “Captivity” through specific and descriptive language brings a whole new meaning to Mary Rowlandson’s narrative.
Composers can reimagine iconic texts as a way to reinforce their core themes and significantly challenge contextual norms. ‘Hag-seed’ written in 2016 by Margaret Atwood is a prose fiction novel that reimagines Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ through a modern-day lens, allowing audiences to connect and deepen their understanding of the original text in a more digestible way. As a modern female author, Atwood utilises redefined plotlines in her novel to embed relevant social commentaries, expressing the differing values and contexts between herself and Shakespeare. Atwood’s representation of the character Miranda better helps the audience understand the actions and motives of Miranda in the base text. The intentional similarities and differences
In Act I, Scene 2, Caliban describes how he showed Prospero "all the qualities o' th' isle" and taught him "how to name the bigger light and how the less." This knowledge is valuable to Prospero and serves to further justify his enslavement of Caliban, as it allows him to gain power and control over the island and its resources. The themes of colonization and imperialism are central to The Tempest, and Caliban's experiences reflect the historical injustices and violence inflicted upon colonized peoples by European powers. Caliban's status as a native of the island further highlights the unjust nature of colonialism and the ways in which it can be used to justify the exploitation and oppression of indigenous peoples.
Prospero played a key role in his own downfall. He, for example, failed to manage his authority. He admits enabling his brother 's treason happened because he gave him a lot of powers and neglected his own duties as the head of state as he concentrates on
In The Tempest an imaginary land is created far from the veracity of the sublunary world. It is adept that the play commences with the tempest, foreshadowing imminent anarchy. This paradoxical distortion however, leads to renewal. Prospero, the providential father manipulates events on the island through his ‘art’ and embarks on a journey of introspection, forgiveness, magnanimity and love through his imagination. His yearning to avenge his usurpation is challenged by the love of Miranda and Ferdinand, teaching him that ‘the rarer action is in virtue, than in vengeance’.
Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ follows Prospero’s relationship with power and control displaying the essential establishment of the Great Chain of Being controlling status within the Jacobean society of ‘The Tempest’. “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak/And peg thee in his knotty entrials till/ Thou hast howled away twelve winters” shows the peak of Prospero’s power and control through Shakesphere’s use of vivid imagery conveying the brutality of the power dynamic between Prospero and Ariel. The use of enjambment further highlights Prospero’s lengthy reign and irrational decision making showing the lengths he will go to to sustain his power and control dynamic. Prospero’s power and control has strongly influenced his art of magic, which he used throughout his reign but only understood its full effects once Ariel manipulates him, appealing to his humanity, and then using his art to gain redemption.
Years were spent on the island by Prospero perfecting his magical abilities and preparing his plans for retaliation against his brother and those who had mistreated him. Prospero has the chance to exact revenge when his adversaries are transported to the island, but he decides to pardon them instead. He states, "The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance. They being penitent, the sole drift of my purpose doth extend not a frown further" (Shakespeare 5.1.27-30). This paragraph demonstrates Prospero's understanding of the value of forgiving others and his decision to put the interests of justice aside in favor of the greater
Identity and Credibility in The Tempest Identity is something every person will eventually struggle with. Whether it be personal identity or some other person being honest about who they are and what they value. Within The Tempest, there was always a reoccurring theme of how Prospero was mysterious and not showing his true nature. In Act 1 scene 2 this becomes especially evident when Prospero confronts Caliban for attacking his daughter, Miranda. Caliban then begins describing his treatment and how Prospero took everything from him including the island which did not belong to him.
Little did he know there was a king already. This is where all the struggle for power starts because they both want to have all the power. In "The Tempest," different characters such as Prospero, Stephano, and Sebastian illustrate
Vengeance vs. Virtue The play The Tempest, by Shakespeare, explores the values of vengeance and forgiveness through the story of Prospero. The main conflict of the story is Prospero's lack of forgiveness for his brother Antonio, who stole his throne. This causes him to seek vengeance on Antonio and all his allies. Through the events of the story, it is evident that there is more value in virtue compared to vengeance.
The result of Stephano’s distraction to his detriment, as he was attacked by Prospero’s spirits. The encounter resulted in the failure of Caliban’s plan and the preservation of Prospero. The statement from Machiavelli claims that deception will be able to find a target, which is precisely what occurs in THE TEMPEST. Also, despite the fact that Prospero utilizes a Machiavellian principle, he is ultimately successful in attaining his goals, while the recipients of the deception are not. While a Machiavellian principle is successful in this instance of THE TEMPEST, Shakespeare still generally disagrees with them.
Sasha Beatty Mrs. Stegmiller Tempest analysis 30 March 2023 Prospero manipulation analysis “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare is said to be one of the last plays he wrote alone prior to his retirement. This play was said to be a calling for his retirement, to give his fans a satisfactory goodbye before leaving and also even using this play to express his beliefs within the current events taking place during that time period without stirring up direct controversy. Within this story, a character named Prospero was banished to an island by his power hungry brother in order to take his position on the throne.
Benjamin Young Mr. Cassidy Pre-IB Advanced English 10B 6 March 2023 The Tempest Essay In The Tempest, Shakespeare utilizes Antonio to illustrate greed, ignorance, and narcissism throughout the play. In the tempest, the royal family from Milan is washed up on an island after their ship sunk at the hands of Prospero and Ariel as a form of vengeance, for the family's previous actions on him and his daughter. The island that the group washed up on, is the same island that Prospero and his daughter Miranda were banished to after Prospero’s dukedom was overruled.
Unlike Shakespeare’s other main characters, he is much more enigmatic. In they play Prospero is portrayed as the rogue who seeks revenge on his brother Antonio for his treachery. In this Shakespearean comedy it becomes clear that Prospero is the heart of power on the island. Evidently Prospero has been wronged by his brother’s usurping which he could not control and now uses his magic as a tool for controlling the events that occur on island throughout the play. The theme of power in this play is hugely significant as it clear that the violence interrogated in this play is in relation to power and the abuse of that power by the protagonist.
Shakespeare’s The Tempest is often considered fiction and finds content in expressing characteristics of both the main character, Prospero and differences in the power dynamics affecting his characters. Shakespeare often uses groups of characters to emphasize the complexity of their surroundings and effects on their behavior. The overall repetition of complications faced or caused in relation to Prospero and play an enormous role in the plot, helping to develop both the his feelings and the emotional ties of others regarding him. Shakespeare also varies the diction to place emphasis on the power dynamic and relationships observed between thespians.