Module A, Year 12 English Quotes

Caliban (Act 3, Scene 2) - Depiction of nature → beauty + danger. Imagery reflects colonisation (Islands beauty shadows Prospero’s control)

"Be not afeared; the isle is full of noises, / Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not."

(Act 1, Scene 1) - Symbolism of chaos and disorder, reps external upheaval in the natural world and internal conflict within Prospero

"A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard."

Hagseed physical prison represents more than confinement; it embodies Felix’s internal struggle and psychological imprisonment. This symbol used throughout the novel, entrapment, redemption, and freedom, both literal and metaphorical.

“On our first day, I said that one of the keynotes of this play is Prisons.”

Miranda’s spirit represents Felix’s unresolved grief + emotional connection. Miranda embodies the role of Ariel, emphasising her ethereal and supernatural influence on him

"Right next to his ear he hears his Miranda’s voice. It’s barely a whisper, but he hears it... Miranda’s made a decision”

Metafiction

A literary technique where fiction self-consciously addresses its own artificiality, reminding readers they are reading a story

Metatheatre

Theatrical techniques that draw attention to a play’s artificiality, breaking the "fourth wall" to remind the audience they are watching a performance.

Shakespeare uses supernatural imagery to enhance the sense of wonder and power associated with his character. Prospero’s spells are often depicted in terms of nature

“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves, / And ye that on the sands with printless foot”

Visceral imagery, Caliban is portrayed as a monstrous, dehumanised figure, yet the imagery also evokes sympathy (marginalised)

"My name’s Caliban, got scales and long nails, I smell like a fish and not like a man—But my other name’s Hag-Seed"

Prospero mirror biblical depiction of a God wielding power over the fate of humanity. Control over the island’s inhabitants, manipulation of events, choice to forgive those who wronged him, like the biblical theme of mercy and redemption. (Intertextuality)

“The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance.”

Atwood uses the play within the narrative to reflect the journey of her protagonist, Felix, who mirrors Prospero. Felix’s desire for revenge parallels Prospero’s, while the prison setting acts as a reflection of the isolation of the island in The Tempest. (Resonance)

"It’s time for him to play the Tempest as it was meant to be played... His Tempest, his great work, and his revenge."