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The notion of imprisonment, both in a physical and psychological sense is explored in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest and also in Margaret Atwood’s postmodern novel Hagseed, which reimagines the trauma experienced by the protagonist and the challenges he must face to enable him to progress with life unhindered. In both texts, the past has manifested and shaped the present, and the future for the protagonists is determined by their ability to self-reflect, reconcile with those around them, and find forgiveness. Utilizing metatheatre, both composers present their characters in a state of flux where they are simultaneously prisoners of their past actions and controllers of their destiny. Thus, the prison motif represents a stage, a moment suspended in time when through their actions, the protagonists come to understand the true impact of their past behavior. Both texts employ the prison motif to reveal the essential humanity that binds and separates us, reflecting not only humanist values but the values and morals of their respective contexts.
Felix is guilty of allowing his emotions and desires to rule and imprison him, the Christian contextual values of paying penance are evident in “By choosing this shack and the privitations, that would come with it, he would of course be sulking. He’d be hair-shirting himself, playing the flagellant, the hermit.” The characterization of Felix as petulant and withdrawn allows the reader to begin to unravel the workings of his mind as to why he elected to deprive himself of the usual comforts of life as a form of self-punishment for allowing himself to be overthrown. The verb “playing” suggests that “he recognized his act, an act with no audience but himself”, and is self-aware of his brooding, shown in the luminescence of the all-inclusive meta-narrative structure. Felix is stuck in this role/facade and has fallen into the infinite chasm of his mind, causing him to become fixated on the compulsive need for revenge, “he has been chewing over his revenge for twelve years - it’s been in the background a constant undercurrent like an ache”. Gustatory imagery and the simile signify the grief and yearning for his daughter and how any pain he can cause others may relieve his own, the plotting and scheming of revenge acts as a negative form of catharsis trapping Felix.
The loss of power has made Prospero vulnerable and his exile leads him to become ensnared with the intention of revenge at the forefront of his mind. Prospero evolves into the embodiment of a puppet master, referring to the other characters as “demi puppets”. Prospero believes that he has full control of the island and its people, “this cells my court”, the possessive alliterative statement is ironic as although he has physically imprisoned the characters on the island, his desire for revenge and control has jailed him. In The Tempest, there is an internal struggle between omnipotence and humanity. Prospero attains a form of anagnorisis when he becomes aware of the paradoxically liberating and demanding nature of his relentless pursuit of knowledge and how it played a pivotal role in his usurpation and eventual fall from power. Prospero's self-reflection and awakening are observed in the metaphor “to my state grew stranger, neglecting worldly ends… dedicated to the bettering of my mind”. Shakespeare represents the flaws of humans and establishes that a balance between power and altruism is required, depicting humanist tendencies.
The physical separation further removes Felix from the emotional connection of humanity. To combat this, Felix conjures up a hallucination of his daughter trapping her in his imaginative sphere, and “he engaged in this nonreality as if it were real”. Felix has captured Miranda inside the photo frame, “She was flying through the air; And now she would have to stay locked behind the glass” Miranda is suspended in a liminal point between heaven and earth and his desire and ability to connect with his ghost daughter establishes that humans have an innate longing for significant relationships which contradicts their concurrent need for control and revenge. Upon introspection Felix undergoes metamorphosis, “Anyway I succeeded he tells himself. Or at least I didn’t fail. Why does it feel like a letdown?” The rhetorical question signifies the realization that revenge will not bring his daughter back and fill the hole in his heart where she once was thus contemplation and forgiveness allowed Felix to finally free Miranda, “He knows what she truly wants and what he owes to her, to the elements be free he says to her and finally she is.” hence, liberating himself from the grief and guilt that marked his life causing his imprisonment that had taken form as an illusion in his mind.
Prospero’s hesitation between revenge and forgiveness defines the framework of the play, the Tempest is based on politics which is inwoven with human nature. Through self-reflection Prospero still seeks revenge but is satisfied with the atonement of their sins, “They being penitent. The sole drift of my purpose doth extend. Not a frown further”, the Christian value of paying penance for wrongdoing is displayed and the verb “drift” represents water imagery and illuminates the regaining of virtues of humanity which Prospero had previously lost in the “Tempest of existence”. Aligned with humanist morals, Prospero chooses to relinquish his power for peaceful freedom, “the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance”, the alliterative line acknowledges that his prosperity is dependent on his inner restoration of humanity. Prospero was paradoxically moved to compassion and introspection by a spirit illustrating irony, as forgiveness is the very essence of humanity. The rhetorical beginning in “Set Me Free”, is a self-reflective meditation where the art of theatre suspends the dramatic illusion and in doing so sets up a conceptual mirror that illuminates the conventional, illusory, and theatrical nature of everyday life. In The Tempest, forgiveness is seen as a means to resolution and provides an opportunity for freedom.
The centrality of the prison motif unites both Hag-Seed and The Tempest as it develops the protagonist's perception of themselves in their environment and thus encourages the reader to reflect on their reality and existence which may result in new thought and introspection freeing us from the suffocating effects that rigid thought can have.
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