Hag-Seed: William Shakespeare's The Tempest Retold

Is Felix a hero or a villain? Explain your reasoning.

In your opinion, which is Felix’s greatest struggle: the death of Miranda, or the loss of his job? Use textual evidence to explain your answer.

How does Felix view his job at the Fletcher Correctional Institution? What does this reveal about Felix?

How does Atwood humanize and empathize with the prisoners of the Fletcher Correctional Institution? What larger message or theme about prison and oppression does this humanization develop?

In what ways does Anne-Marie represent the intersection of the novel’s Miranda and the original play’s Miranda? Use textual evidence to support your character analysis.

When given back his job as artistic director, Felix opts for a less active, more honorary role. Why doesn’t Felix embrace his rehiring? What does this indicate about Felix’s characterization and motivations?

In Part 5, the Fletcher Players create hypothetical epilogues for their characters from The Tempest. Choose any of the characters in Hag-Seed and write an epilogue for them. What happens to this character after the events of the novel? What does this trajectory imply about the novel’s themes?

Is it possible to have power and still be good? Explain your answer using evidence from Hag-Seed and examples from the world outside the novel.