What Is Margaret Atwood's Appropriation Of The Tempest

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

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”

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