Back on the outside, his enemies rise through the political ranks, becoming ministers within the government, and inevitably the auspicious star brings them to Felix, giving our hero a chance for revenge.Īs far as the interpretation goes it is indeed a clever remodeling of The Tempest.

Exiled from the world in which he was king and country, Felix finds employment as the theatre director/teacher at Fletchers Correctional Facility, initiating a Literacy through Literature program for the inmates. His world is shattered when his more ambitious assistant, Tony, overthrows him by getting the board of directors to vote him out. He had a nice and comfortable position as head director of the Makeshiweg theatre, a small local venue that put on various plays throughout the year. One of the many incarnations of Prospero and Caliban.įelix Philips was at the top of his game. The thesis of this review will be that while the book is entertaining for its length, it falls short of what we’ve come to expect from Atwood in terms of literary merit. This review will talk about the plot, the characters, and Atwood’s prose. Hag-Seed is equal parts comedy and tragedy, though quite different from what those two genres meant back in Shakespeare’s time.

What transpires is a mirroring of Shakespeare’s original tale, with Felix plotting to regain his position at the Makeshiweg theatre. In this retelling, Prospero has transformed into a middle-aged theatre director, Felix Phillips, who finds himself ousted by his cunning and devious protege. Several authors were commissioned to write modern adaptations of classic Shakespeare plays, and Atwood had chosen The Tempest, featuring Prospero, the enigmatic magician-sorcerer who causes a shipwreck of his adversaries, in order to begin a plot to regain his rightful throne. Published in 2016, Hag-Seed was written as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project.

Anne marie hag seed