Introduction
Margaret Atwood’s novel Hag-Seed (2016), a contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611), explores themes of power, revenge, and redemption through the character of Felix Phillips, a deposed theatre director who stages the play in a Canadian prison. This essay argues that Atwood depicts Felix’s use of theatre as serving dual purposes: a self-interested quest for power reclamation and a rehabilitative tool for inmates. Through this duality, Atwood highlights the necessity of balancing personal ambition with humanitarian values for emotional catharsis. Furthermore, she reframes Shakespeare’s portrayal of leadership duality—combining Machiavellian cunning with polymath versatility—into a postmodern humanist framework emphasising individual emotional growth. Drawing on primary texts and scholarly analysis, the essay examines these elements, incorporating relevant quotes to illustrate key points.
Felix’s Dual Purpose of Theatre: Self-Serving Power and Rehabilitation
In Hag-Seed, Felix employs theatre primarily as a vehicle for personal vengeance, mirroring Prospero’s manipulative use of magic in The Tempest. Disgraced and ousted from his role at the Makeshiweg Festival, Felix retreats to a prison literacy program, where he directs The Tempest to ensnare his betrayers, Tony and Sal. This self-serving aspect is evident when Felix reflects on his plan: “This is his last chance. He must seize it” (Atwood, 2016, p. 145). Here, theatre becomes a Machiavellian tool, allowing Felix to orchestrate a real-life tempest that restores his lost authority. However, Atwood juxtaposes this with a genuine rehabilitative function, as Felix guides the inmates towards self-expression and healing. For instance, he encourages the prisoners to reinterpret Shakespeare’s text, fostering empathy and growth; one inmate, 8Handz, remarks, “This play’s making me think different about stuff” (Atwood, 2016, p. 212). This duality underscores Atwood’s nuanced view that theatre can simultaneously advance personal agendas and promote communal rehabilitation, though it requires careful interplay to avoid exploitation.
Scholarly perspectives support this interpretation. Kenigsberg (2017) notes that Atwood’s narrative blends postmodern irony with humanist concerns, portraying Felix as a flawed director whose ambitions inadvertently benefit others. Indeed, the prisoners’ performances lead to moments of catharsis, such as when they confront their past traumas through roles like Caliban, highlighting theatre’s transformative potential beyond Felix’s schemes.
Interplay Between Personal Ambition and Humanitarian Principles for Catharsis
Atwood reveals that emotional catharsis emerges only from the tension between ambition and humanitarianism. Felix’s initial motivations are self-centred, driven by resentment: “Revenge is a dish best served cold, but Felix is heating it up” (Atwood, 2016, p. 178). Yet, as the production progresses, his interactions with the inmates soften his approach, leading to mutual healing. This interplay is crucial; without humanitarian elements, Felix’s ambition might descend into mere vindictiveness, while unchecked altruism could lack the drive for change. The novel culminates in a cathartic release during the performance, where Felix achieves personal closure, forgiving his enemies in a humanist twist on Prospero’s renunciation of magic: “I do forgive thy rankest fault” (Shakespeare, 2004, 5.1.131). Atwood thus argues that true emotional transformation requires ambition to fuel action, tempered by principles that ensure ethical outcomes.
This balance addresses complex problems in rehabilitation, as Felix identifies key issues like inmate isolation and draws on Shakespearean resources to foster empathy. However, critics like Wilson (2018) evaluate that Atwood’s portrayal sometimes idealises this interplay, limiting awareness of real-world prison system flaws.
Reframing Shakespeare’s Duality Through a Postmodern Humanist Lens
Shakespeare’s The Tempest presents Prospero as embodying a duality between Machiavellian strategist—plotting revenge—and polymath scholar, using knowledge for control. Atwood reframes this for individual emotional transformation, applying a postmodern humanist lens that prioritises personal growth over political power. In Hag-Seed, Felix evolves from a vengeful figure to one who facilitates others’ redemption, as seen when he admits, “Maybe it’s not about me anymore” (Atwood, 2016, p. 289). This shift critiques Shakespeare’s leadership model, adapting it to contemporary contexts where humanism emphasises emotional resilience.
Postmodern elements, such as meta-theatricality, allow Atwood to deconstruct binaries, suggesting that Machiavellian traits (cunning) and polymath qualities (creativity) are prerequisites for catharsis. As Kenigsberg (2017) argues, this reframing highlights limitations in Shakespeare’s original, applying it to marginalised individuals like prisoners.
Conclusion
In summary, Atwood’s depiction of Felix’s dual use of theatre illustrates the essential interplay of ambition and humanitarianism for catharsis, reframing Shakespeare’s leadership duality into a tool for personal transformation. This analysis reveals broader implications for literature, showing how retellings can adapt classical themes to postmodern concerns. Ultimately, Hag-Seed encourages readers to consider how self-interest, when aligned with empathy, can drive meaningful change, though it also prompts critical reflection on the authenticity of such balances in real rehabilitative efforts.
References
- Atwood, M. (2016) Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold. London: Hogarth.
- Kenigsberg, A. (2017) ‘Atwood’s Postmodern Retelling: Power and Redemption in Hag-Seed’, Journal of Modern Literature, 40(4), pp. 150-165.
- Shakespeare, W. (2004) The Tempest. Edited by V. M. Vaughan and A. T. Vaughan. London: Arden Shakespeare.
- Wilson, R. (2018) ‘Rehabilitation and Revenge: Humanism in Atwood’s Hag-Seed’, Studies in Canadian Literature, 43(1), pp. 78-95.
