“The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-Seed
This paper examines a number of contemporary adaptations of The Tempest – Fred McLeod Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet (1956), Peter Greenaway’s Prospero’s Books (1991) and Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed (2016) – which indicate new avenues for exploring the phenomenon of past-and-present re-bonding through...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Bucharest University Press
2021-12-01
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| Series: | University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/EstellaCiobanu.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797641974060154880 |
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| author | Estella Ciobanu |
| author_facet | Estella Ciobanu |
| author_sort | Estella Ciobanu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper examines a number of contemporary adaptations of The
Tempest – Fred McLeod Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet (1956), Peter Greenaway’s
Prospero’s Books (1991) and Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed (2016) – which indicate
new avenues for exploring the phenomenon of past-and-present re-bonding
through re-telling. If adaptation theory suggests, at its best, that an adaptation
may encourage the public to read the adapted text, if unfamiliar, as Linda
Hutcheon argues, these particular adaptations of Shakespeare’s play, I contend,
take a step forward. Not only do they spur their readers/spectators on to (re)-
read The Tempest, but they elicit (re)considering the relationships amongst
(certain of) Shakespeare’s plays. It is what happened to this author too whilst
reading Hag-Seed, even before reaching the page where Atwood’s protagonist –
Felix qua Prospero actor and figure – contemplates the opportunity offered by
mounting The Tempest to unmask his usurpers. “The play’s the thing”, Felix
thinks in Hamletian terms, allowing the readers familiar with Hamlet to complete
mentally “wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king”. More than being
Shakespeare’s swan song, as typically regarded, The Tempest thus becomes the
metatheatrical light on Hamlet’s own metatheatricality – also courtesy of the
former’s adaptations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:53:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a22d277dbd1a4afc88afd58ae5afc949 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2734-5963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:53:27Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Bucharest University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series |
| spelling | doaj.art-a22d277dbd1a4afc88afd58ae5afc9492023-11-02T07:43:16ZengBucharest University PressUniversity of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series2734-59632021-12-01X/2020261910.31178/UBR.10.2.1“The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-SeedEstella Ciobanu0Ovidius University of Constanţa; Romania.This paper examines a number of contemporary adaptations of The Tempest – Fred McLeod Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet (1956), Peter Greenaway’s Prospero’s Books (1991) and Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed (2016) – which indicate new avenues for exploring the phenomenon of past-and-present re-bonding through re-telling. If adaptation theory suggests, at its best, that an adaptation may encourage the public to read the adapted text, if unfamiliar, as Linda Hutcheon argues, these particular adaptations of Shakespeare’s play, I contend, take a step forward. Not only do they spur their readers/spectators on to (re)- read The Tempest, but they elicit (re)considering the relationships amongst (certain of) Shakespeare’s plays. It is what happened to this author too whilst reading Hag-Seed, even before reaching the page where Atwood’s protagonist – Felix qua Prospero actor and figure – contemplates the opportunity offered by mounting The Tempest to unmask his usurpers. “The play’s the thing”, Felix thinks in Hamletian terms, allowing the readers familiar with Hamlet to complete mentally “wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king”. More than being Shakespeare’s swan song, as typically regarded, The Tempest thus becomes the metatheatrical light on Hamlet’s own metatheatricality – also courtesy of the former’s adaptations.https://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/EstellaCiobanu.pdfthe tempest (shakespeare)forbidden planet (directed by fred mcleod wilcox)prospero’s books (written and directed by peter greenaway)hag-seed (margaret atwood)adaptation theory |
| spellingShingle | Estella Ciobanu “The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-Seed University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series the tempest (shakespeare) forbidden planet (directed by fred mcleod wilcox) prospero’s books (written and directed by peter greenaway) hag-seed (margaret atwood) adaptation theory |
| title | “The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-Seed |
| title_full | “The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-Seed |
| title_fullStr | “The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-Seed |
| title_full_unstemmed | “The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-Seed |
| title_short | “The Play’s the Thing”: Re-imagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books and Hag-Seed |
| title_sort | the play s the thing re imagining shakespeare s the tempest in forbidden planet prospero s books and hag seed |
| topic | the tempest (shakespeare) forbidden planet (directed by fred mcleod wilcox) prospero’s books (written and directed by peter greenaway) hag-seed (margaret atwood) adaptation theory |
| url | https://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/EstellaCiobanu.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT estellaciobanu theplaysthethingreimaginingshakespearesthetempestinforbiddenplanetprosperosbooksandhagseed |