textual conversations Flashcards
The Tempest / Hag-Seed
1
Q
what is the context of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’?
A
- Jacobean era England; 1610-1611
- the Renaissance
- references to Michel Montaigne’s ‘On the Cannibals’
- Shakespeare’s last play
2
Q
what is the context of Margaret Atwood’s ‘Hag-Seed’?
A
- 21st century Canada; 2016
- feminist author
- Atwood’s response to ‘The Tempest’
3
Q
what are the major shared themes between ‘The Tempest’ and ‘Hag-Seed’?
A
- power and control
- colonialism and colonisation
- magic and illusion
- revenge
- gender roles
- exile and imprisonment
4
Q
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of power and control?
A
- “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” -Ariel, Act 1, Scene 2: refers to the power struggle on the island
- “This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, which thou tak’st from me.” -Caliban, Act 1, Scene 2: represents Caliban’s resentment towards Prospero for taking control of the island
- “The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance.” -Prospero, Act 5, Scene 1: shows Prospero’s realisation that power comes from being virtuous rather than seeking revenge
5
Q
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of power and control?
A
- “Power isn’t about controlling things. It’s about doing things.” -Felix, Chapter 2: reflection on Felix’s past and his understanding of power
- “You can’t get something for nothing. If you want power, you have to pay for it.” -Tony, Chapter 6: shows Tony’s understanding of power
- “Revenge is just another form of power, and like all power, it can be abused.” -Felix, Chapter 14: shows Felix’s desire for revenge and how it can lead to a destructive cycle of power and control
6
Q
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of colonialism and colonisation?
A
- “This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, which thou tak’st from me.” -Caliban, Act 1, Scene 2: shows Caliban’s understanding that he is the rightful owner of the island
- “I have used thee / Filth as thou art, with human care,” -Prospero, Act 1, Scene 2: shows how Prospero believes he is being generous towards Caliban by appointing himself as the leader of the island, despite thinking Caliban is a savage
- “This thing of darkness I / Acknowledge mine.” -Prospero, Act 5, Scene 1: Prospero claims ownership of Caliban
7
Q
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of colonialism and colonisation?
A
- “It’s not your fault if you’re born in a place that’s already been looted and pillaged. But it is your fault if you don’t try to remedy the situation.” -Felix, Chapter 5: shows Felix’s understanding of colonisation and the need to make amends with it
- “There’s something about the way you talk. Like you’ve swallowed a library. But you’re still an outsider.” -Anne-Marie, Chapter 8: represents the feelings of otherness that arise from colonisation
- “The past is always present, and it’s what you do with it that matters.” -Felix, Chapter 12: shows how colonisation impacts the present
8
Q
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of magic and illusion?
A
- “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” -Prospero, Act 4, Scene 1: reflects Prospero’s understanding of the power of illusion
- “I’ll drown my book.” -Prospero, Act 5, Scene 1: Prospero gives up his magic for a more grounded reality
- “Hell is empty / And all the devils are here.” -Ariel, Act 1, Scene 2: shows how Ariel’s magic can create a spectacle
9
Q
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of magic and illusion?
A
- “Acting is all about illusion, about creating something that isn’t really there.” -Felix, Chapter 2: reflects the power of illusion in theatre
- “He’s turned a prison into a palace.” -Anne-Marie, Chapter 14: reflects the transformative power of art in creating illusion
- “Felix was using magic, and magic can sometimes backfire.” -Tony, Chapter 22: reflects how magic can have unintended consequences and can be difficult to control
10
Q
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of revenge?
A
- “The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance.” -Prospero, Act 5, Scene 1: Prospero reflects on how being virtuous has better outcomes than seeking revenge
- “I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated / To closeness and the bettering of my mind.” -Prospero, Act 1, Scene 2: speaks on how revenge can be all-consuming
- “As wicked dew as e’er my mother brushed / With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen / Drop on you both!” -Caliban, Act 1, Scene 2: shows Caliban’s desire for revenge against Prospero and Miranda
11
Q
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of revenge?
A
- “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” -Felix, Chapter 2: reflects on how revenge can be long and deliberate
- “I am his mirror, his revenge, his punishment.” -Anne-Marie, Chapter 14: shows how Anne-Marie is willing to assist Felix in his revenge plot
- “No one who’s ever wronged me has gone unpunished.” -Felix, Chapter 28: shows how revenge is a driving force in Felix’s life
12
Q
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of gender roles?
A
- “I have done nothing but in care of thee, / Of thee, my dear one, thee, my daughter.” -Prospero, Act 1, Scene 2: shows Prospero’s desire to protect Miranda
- “O, I have suffered / With those that I saw suffer!” -Miranda, Act 1, Scene 2: shows Miranda’s empathy, which seems out of place due to her being raised alongside nobody other than Prospero and Caliban
- “Women’s gentle brain / Could not drop forth such giant-rude invention / As war hath spawned in this monstrous age.” -Gonzalo, Act 2, Scene 1: reflects Gonzalo’s belief that women are incapable of large-scale acts of violence
13
Q
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of gender roles?
A
- “She wants to see women’s stories told.” -Felix, Chapter 5: refers to Tony’s desire to see more women in their theatre productions
- “What if the story was about a woman instead of a man?” -Felix, Chapter 15: shows how Felix wishes to reconsider gender roles in his production
- “She thought of herself as a feminist, but in some ways she was just another one of the boys.” -Anne-Marie, Chapter 22: highlights Anne-Marie’s struggles as a woman in a male-dominated space
14
Q
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of exile and imprisonment?
A
- “All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come / To answer thy best pleasure; be’t to fly, / To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride / On the curled clouds.” -Ariel, Act 1, Scene 2: shows Ariel’s previous imprisonment by Sycorax, and how he wishes to serve Prospero
- “This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, / Which thou tak’st from me.” -Caliban, Act 1, Scene 2: Caliban shows his feelings of displacement and loss of power
- “A devil, a born devil, on whose nature / Nurture can never stick; on whom my pains, / Humanely taken, all, all lost, quite lost.” -Prospero, Act 4, Scene 1: references Prospero’s frustrations with Caliban’s ungratefulness towards him
15
Q
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of exile and imprisonment?
A
- “He was trapped, like a man in a fairy tale.” -Felix, Chapter 3: refers to Felix’s sense of imprisonment following his dismissal from his job
- “He would finally be free of the prison of his memories.” -Felix, Chapter 11: references Felix’s desire to move on from his exile
- “But you can’t keep the past locked up forever.” -Felix, Chapter 28: refers to Felix’s decision to confront the events that led to his exile
