This is an essay on William Shakespeare's The Tempest (published about 1610) and Margaret Atwood's modern version of the play, Hag-Seed (published in 2016). You should read them both. They are brilliant and might teach us a thing or two! I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the works.
– Dea ♔
New eyes on Shakespeare
William Shakespeare's works are often seen as the utmost of British and world literature. His plays are translated into numerous languages, and are preformed and read by professionals as well as amateurs across the globe. When one starts studying drama or literature, works by Shakespeare are rarely the starting point. His works are considered being advanced and there is, when analysing his plays, usually a large amount of interpretation and literary and dramatic terms and tools involved. Even professionals struggle to understand and agree on all the aspects in the various plays. However, after reading Margaret Atwood's novel Hag-Seed1, my impression is that we do not really need as much as we often think to enjoy and understand Shakespeare. My thesis statement in this essay will therefore be that: 'The Tempest2 by William Shakespeare is relevant and reliable to most people'. Atwood's book helps us read Shakespeare's The Tempest in a different way. I will be using her book as my main argument.
Atwood has very neatly recreated The Tempest in a modern setting. The almost same story is presented twice. This helps us sort out what is important to pay attention to, not only in the novel, but also in the play. Felix is a modern Prospero. He loses his work and passion as a director, and decides to seek revenge on those who betrayed him. There are two Mirandas. Both Anne-Marie who plays her and Felix's daughter Miranda, who is 'present' even though she died many years ago. Felix's daughter also gives strong associations with the air spirit, Ariel, of whom there are two. 8Handz plays Ariel in the production. Tony is a clear parallel to Antonio. He stole Felix's 'kingdom' and encourages Serbert to act the same way. Lonnie is a parallel to Gonzalo, Sal to Alonso, Serbert to Sebastian, and Freddie to Ferdinand. Caliban is played by Leggs. Quite a few of the inmates may feel like Caliban, rejected and on their own, an outcast. In a way the entire prison may be filled with Calibans. As in the play, the theme is revenge, used as a driving force, eventually turning into mercy and freedom.
Atwood feeds us information through systematic schemes and analyses. By presenting the same personalities and actions several times one can not miss the story and plot of Shakespeare's The Tempest.Hag-Seed presents both the 1610 version of the play and a modernised version, making the reader notice parallels between the two. The likenesses in how the characters act and feel, though there are hundreds of years between them, are striking. Shakespeare is for everyone precisely because of this. His plays presents the most fundamental human nature. Everyone will eventually face these feelings, in them selves or in others. We not only recognise these sides of being human, but also see how these actions are present in our contemporary modern society. Simultaneously it shows us how Shakespeare's works continue to be relevant and provoke our feelings. Some will argue that the 400 year old play is, despite its age and distinct language, can not be outdated.
Most plays include three essential elements, namely setting, time and place. These units are traditionally quite concentrated, or limited3, and this is also the case in The Tempest. It is, however, important to keep in mind that The Tempest is a play made to be preformed on stage, while Hag-Seedis a novel that is only to be read. However, Hag-Seed, which is not a play, also to some extent follows this way of presenting a story. As mentioned above, there are in a way two of each unit in Atwood's novel. The settings, what the main conflict consists of and how the main characters are connected to it, are quite similar in the two stories. Someone steals the main character's 'kingdom' and 'title'. The story of both the play and the novel stretches over, somewhat, the same amount of time. In the play it seems that a minute 'on stage' is a minute in real time4. The backstory is summed up by Prospero in act 1, scene 2. In Hag-Seed the backstory is more thoroughly presented. The main part, in present time, still takes place when the main character presents his play and finishes his revenge, however, the planning of the revenge is also included. In The Tempest Prospero and Miranda spend twelve years on the island. This is the same amount of time Felix uses to plan and carry out his revenge in Hag-Seed. The place, where we are, is set to the island in The Tempest, and mostly to the Fletcher Correctional in Hag-Seed. Though in different ways, they are both prisons. The three units gives us the very framework of the play, and in this case, also the novel.
In Atwood's Hag-Seed the story and plot of The Tempest is broken into small pieces. Felix helps the inmates, and the reader, put these pieces back together, one by one. The reader may almost feel like he is part of a children's theatre where he is 'fed' the basic parts of the play. The play is presented in a way that is enjoyable and understandable to all kinds of people. To many, a play dating back to the 1600s may seem a bit heavy, but Atwood's book argues that it does not necessarily have to be. This is much due to the way Shakespeare presents primal human emotions and actions, as mentioned above. Atwood makes sure the reader is a part of the characters feelings in the parallel stories.
To understand the play we need to have a somewhat understanding of the characters in it. The question is, how are we to understand the characters, and how much of them do we need to understand? In Hag-Seed Ariel is initially an issue for the inmates, because no one wants to play 'a fairy'. Felix solves this by listing up Ariels qualities. What we know about Ariel is that 'he can be invisible', 'he can fly', 'he has superpowers', 'he's musical' and 'he's not human'5. Felix presents this information as something we are free to interpret the way we want. We may do the same with all of the characters. What exactly do we know about them? Is Prospero a madman, a caring father or maybe both? Is Miranda naive and defenceless or smart and independent? Ariel is something different, and hard to define. The inmates understand him to be an alien. The description in the play presents him as an airy spirit. Miranda in Hag-Seed seems to be something in between a ghost and a memory. Hag-Seed lets, the inmates, and the reader, read the characters with what we think is our personal understanding. Yet really, as the director, Prospero, Felix, or even Atwood, pushes the readers and inmates in their preferable direction.
The characters are to a great extent characterised by their actions. To understand these actions we need to know some of the characters backstory, and their relationship towards the others. In Hag-Seedre-shaping of scenes helps the inmates understand the play, and even more the characters in it. For instance act 1, scene 2, is transformed from Prospero's long explanation of his and Miranda's situation and past, to a flashback-rap by his brother Antonio. It is a short and concise way of describing why Prospero and Miranda are on the island, and why Prospero seeks vengeance. Caliban is also introduced by a rap. This information is presented on the inmate's terms, in a way that is reliable and a bit closer to their world. Yet the original feelings and actions remain the same. The play is given their own distinctive character, which again may lead to a deeper understanding and relevance.
As in any play some aspects of The Tempest are more important to understand than others. Felix gives three assignments in Hag-Seed. Thesemake sure the inmates, and the reader, understand the most important parts of the play. The assignment considering curse words helps them get an overview of the play. This assignment also shows us that Shakespeare was not as 'posh' as he is often made out to be today. Atwood's way of presenting The Tempest could be seen as a way of giving Shakespeare back to the common people4. The second assignment, where the inmates were to find who is imprisoned by who and where, makes it clearer what situation the different characters are in, and their feelings towards the others. This is a key to understand the play and is presented in a scheme in Hag-Seed. The different groups the characters are divided into also helps the the reader of the play understand these feelings even deeper. The characters in The Tempest are not put in random groups, but are carefully placed there by Ariel on command from Prospero. Their feelings towards each other are, both through speech and action, in a way emphasised inside these groups. The last assignment in Hag-Seed, where the inmates are to imagine what happens to the characters after the play, may also teachus something. To imagine their future we must understand their present selves. The assignments in Hag-Seedare a very systematic way of gaining this significant knowledge about the play.
However, The Tempest includes some tricky elements which are hard to explain and understand. One of them is magic. It is impossible to attack the play with logic, reason and personal experiences alone. Imagination is a central part of our minimum understanding. We need imagination to understand Ariel, Prospero and the tempest itself. Another thing is how much of The Tempest that is happening within Prospero's own mind6. Hag-Seedmay help us in particular with this aspect. Having the long gone Miranda as Felix's moral compass, a constant presence and a feedback gives us not only a deeper understanding of Felix's own thoughts, but might also add an extra layer to Prospero. The Tempest is famous for being a play within a play. Hag-Seed explains this aspect by presenting The Tempest as a play within a play within a novel. Both The Tempest and Hag-Seed have symbolic and deeper meaning that may make the stories fell like a lot to take on. Nevertheless, reading Hag-Seedone is almost guided through the famous comedy, and will have solid foundation for further reading.
Atwood's Hag-Seed makes the reader rethink all he knows about Shakespeare's The Tempest. The play may be read and interpreted in many different ways. Some choose to read Prospero as the hero, others Caliban. Some choose a colonist or historical reading, while others see it as a fictional play about family, revenge and forgiveness, or romance. The recognisable feelings are there all the same.
Shakespeare's plays are played of all from amateur children's theatres to the professional Royal Shakespeare Company. These two groups, and all in between, will have a different understanding of the play. The play might be richer if we understand the symbol of chess, how The Tempest is a play within a play, or how it may be understood in a colonial setting. Still, it can definitely be discussed whether this information is necessary to enjoy and understand the story and plot. The inmates' interpretation of Ariel or solution to act 1, scene 2, shows us that our personal interpretation may be as justified as any critic's. However, it is to some extent controlled or restricted. To conclude, one might argue that The Tempest is relevant and reliable to most people because of the focus on basic human emotions.Atwood's novelshows us, in a very straightforward way, that the feelings and the actions of the characters in The Tempest are as common now as they were in 1610. Shakespeare does not have a date of expiry. There are some universal truths about what it is to be human that have not changed in the last 400 years, and probably will not change in the next 400. To recognise these feelings or actions is a helpful tool, and is often what plays aim to do. Hag-Seedhelps us see, or maybe just reminds us, that Shakespeare does not only belong to the high culture, Shakespeare belongs to all!
Bibliography:
Atwood, Margaret. Hag-Seed. (London). Vintage. 2017.
Pellicer, Juan [The Tempest and Hag-Seed, second lecture] University of Oslo. 06.03.18
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. (Great Britain) Penguin. 2015.
Steinman, Kevin. [The Tempest and Hag-Seed] University of Oslo. 20.01.18
Vestøl, Magne. Dramatisk diktning.Accessed 13.02.18.
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