, — Advanced English: Module A Essay —
Texts: William Shakespeare - ‘The Tempest’ & Margaret Atwood - ‘Hag-Seed’
Analyse how the tension between appearance and reality highlights the
connections between The Tempest and Hag-Seed.
The retrieval of socio-political dialogism universally focalises the
subject of narratives, each transforming its antiquated precursors into a
recognisable setting. As such, composers historically reconsider
(dissonances/resonances) in socio-political contexts, as to remain
relevant to their purpose and audience. William Shakespeare’s drama
‘The Tempest’ textually focalises the Renaissance dynamics of power
and inequality over the feminine and colonised - whereas Margaret
Atwood’s novel ‘Hag-Seed’ in the postmodern tradition - appropriates
tension by inaugurating active protest against mass incarceration and
empirically reconsiders oppressive social systems against the feminine
and post-colonial identity. Comparatively, both texts compose an
effective consideration of historical issues through their dissonances
and resonances which socially illuminate the epistemological nature of
truth.
The minimal representation of female power throughout The Tempest universally
ignites discussion regarding the reality of female subjugation throughout time,
although it appears to have altered. Shakespeare creates a tension through Prospero’s
description of Sycorax as a “hag” and a “foul witch”. The derogatory language in