P2 Mod A Ideas

Question 1

Intro Line 1

Answer 1

[Over-arching, general statement that answers the question and comments on literary longevity]

Question 2

Intro Line 2

Answer 2

An interplay between the contextual values of the Jacobean era and the contemporary backdrop of social justice enables a textual conversation between Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611) and Atwood’s Hagseed (2016).

Question 3

Intro Line 3

Answer 3

Through Atwood’s recontextualisation of the seminal text, she offers the audience a modern text, where their societal beliefs are foregrounded, as a vehicle to explore the marginalisation of those deemed Other in both cultural contexts.

Question 4

Intro Line 4

Answer 4

Thus [ ]. THESIS

Question 5

First STS

Answer 5

As Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest encapsulates his contextual influences while presenting a nuanced perspective on colonized individuals, reflecting his humanist ideals that prioritize the significance of humanity. Conversely, Atwood’s Hag-seed draws on elements from The Tempest, extending the social critiques that Shakespeare subtly unveiled.

Question 6

BP1

Answer 6

• Shakespeare wrote Tempest during the Jacobean Era, right on the cusp of colonialism and world exploration. This introduced the debate of nature or nurture in relation to First Nations’ People, viewed as innately savage and sub-human by Shakespeare’s peers.
• The repetition of “monster” and usage of very distasteful epithets, display their disdain of Caliban, but also Caliban’s vulnerability to alcohol, emphasising the subjugation of First Peoples through colonialist vices like alcohol.
• Shakespeare subverts colonialist expectations of unchanging savagery… Caliban shifts between Alexandrine and blank verse that, while inconsistent, contrasts with the jester’s lowly prose, and reflects the power of education in driving individual growth… highlighting the dramatic irony as it was Prospero who showed Caliban how to curse and expose to him pursuits of vengeance and torture.

Question 7

BP2

Answer 7

• Atwood, through recontextualising Caliban as hardened and shunned criminals, provides modern audiences with a postcolonial lens through which to view marginalisation, challenging the contextual notions of colonialism established in the hypotext. Atwood refuses to dehumanise the prisoners (collective Caliban) and instead shines an empathetic light on them, giving them a voice through which to transcend their social status as innately savage humans.
• …highlights the ramifications of colonialism (emerging near Shakespeare’s time) still echoing through modernity, and acknowledge that, despite the progress that has been made, it is almost immutable our prejudice of those deemed as other
• This use of rap, a genre hybridisation, in the middle of a novel parallels Caliban’s switch in prose and blank verse and captures the Jacobean’s shocked reaction through our subversion of expectations that her novel would be just prose. Through Caliban’s collective representation and celebration through rap, Atwood directly engages with Tempest by recasting him in a sincere light.

Question 8

STS 2

Answer 8

Shakespeare’s literary context heavily features revenge and redemption as archetypes, enabling Prospero’s pursuit of revenge and revelation that forgiveness is a more cathartic resolve to meta-theatrically garner acclamation from the characters within and audience members. In contrast, Atwood’s contemporary context which values reconciliation informs her to position Felix’s redemption as healing.

Question 9

BP3

Answer 9

• The texts collide when examining the form and content of the epilogue, showcasing the distinct contextual divide between the composers.
• Shakespeare nuances his theatrical portrayal of revenge by adding the element of self-imprisonment; Prospero’s vengeance traps him in a cycle of anger and hatred, hindering his chances of renewal.
• …Atwood celebrates Felix’s catharsis as one of personal development, detached from outward approval.

Question 10

Conclusion

Answer 10

The representation of marginalisation in Tempest invited Atwood to interpret the nuances and craft renewed portraits of societal prejudices to reflect paradigmatic shifts. As such, I now realise the value of textual conversations in reinforcing the significance of [ ].