textual conversations Flashcards
The Tempest / Hag-Seed
what is the context of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’?
- Jacobean era England; 1610-1611
- the Renaissance
- references to Michel Montaigne’s ‘On the Cannibals’
- Shakespeare’s last play
what is the context of Margaret Atwood’s ‘Hag-Seed’?
- 21st century Canada; 2016
- feminist author
- Atwood’s response to ‘The Tempest’
what are the major shared themes between ‘The Tempest’ and ‘Hag-Seed’?
- power and control
- colonialism and colonisation
- magic and illusion
- revenge
- gender roles
- exile and imprisonment
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of power and control?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of power and control?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of colonialism and colonisation?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of colonialism and colonisation?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of magic and illusion?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of magic and illusion?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of revenge?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of revenge?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of gender roles?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of gender roles?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘The Tempest’ that relate to the theme of exile and imprisonment?
- “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
what are some quotes from ‘Hag-Seed’ that relate to the theme of exile and imprisonment?
- “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
what is the key language from the rubric for the Textual Conversations module?
- mirror
- align
- collide
what does it mean when two texts ‘mirror’ one another?
when two texts mirror one another, they reflect a theme or value exactly
what does it mean with two texts ‘align’ with one another?
when two texts align with one another, they have similarities, but are made unique by the latter author’s personal artistic decisions
what does it mean when two texts ‘collide’ with one another?
when two texts collide with one another, the reframed text shows a completely opposite perspective from the original
