Some of the most well-known authors of our generation
have joined together to create the Hogarth Shakespeare series. Each author is
retelling one of Shakespeare's most well-known plays. It's a brilliant idea and
one that I'm loving so far. Tracy Chevalier wrote New Boy, the story of Othello
set in a Washington D.C. grade school in the 1970s. Anne Tyler tackled The
Taming of the Shrew in Vinegar Girl, turning the soured Kate into the daughter
of a scientist looking for a green card marriage for his lab assistant. In
Margaret Atwoods' Hag-Seed we meet Felix, a modern-day Prospero. He's the eccentric
director of a theatre festival, but after being betrayed, he exiles himself as
he plots his revenge.
With the other two books I've read in the series I
couldn't help but compare them to the original the entire time I was reading
them. With Hag-Seed I kept forgetting that it is a remake of The Tempest, even
though they are talking about the original play through the novel. The plot and
the characters are strong enough that they stand on their own. I kept getting
sucked into the story, which is exactly what you want.
I love that every aspect of the retelling is not literal.
Miranda is his daughter, but she passed away when she was little. He is not
stranded on an island, but instead he's trapped in an isolation of his own
making. He takes a job teaching Shakespeare to inmates at a local prison. I love
how he has to introduce Shakespeare to them and in doing so, we as the readers
are able to appreciate some of the primal aspects of the Bard's work. We often treat Shakespeare as high-browed and far
above lay people. In reality he was often crass and played to the commonest level
of humor. I love that Atwood manages to embrace that while still highlighting
his deeper message.
BOTTOM LINE: Loved the book and the whole premise of the
series. It's such a treat to see Shakespeare's work through a new lens. Just as
every director of a film or play brings their interpretation to each piece, so
do these authors. I can't wait to read
the rest of them!
