Hag-Seed: Chapter 30 Summary & Analysis

Felix wakes up suddenly in the morning, haunted by a dream he can’t remember. He thinks that he should have listed dreams as one of the main themes of The Tempest; characters are always falling asleep or comparing the fantastic events of the plot to dreams. He wonders if Shakespeare knew what he was doing when he wrote, or if he was “sleepwalking part of the time.”  Felix tells himself not to come up with new ideas at this late date.

Today the cast will be shooting Felix’s first scene with Ariel, so he packs the magic garment into a bag after he gets dressed. Anne-Marie has presented him with a hat, in order to keep his head warm, and which he now wears to class. When he questioned her about WonderBoy recently, she admitted that he wants to write her letters after the play is over. Felix vigorously advises against this, but she tells him to stay out of it; they haven’t shot her love scenes yet, and if she lets WonderBoy down now he won’t perform well. Felix laughs that she’s “ruthless,” but she counters that she learned everything from him.

In fact, the scene turns out perfectly. Anne-Marie makes a white costume for herself and projects “rapt enchantment,” while WonderBoy is “the embodiment of yearning desire.” Felix hopes that the actor won’t be too distraught to lose Anne-Marie, but he reminds himself that as “a con man playing an actor,” the young man is “a double unreality.”

When Felix surveys himself in the mirror now, he realizes he’s looking gaunt. For the first time Miranda comes with him to the car, although she’s initially hesitant to get in. He hopes she doesn’t remember her last car ride, on the way to the hospital with a high fever. Why hadn’t he noticed her symptoms earlier? He can’t even remember the production that had distracted his attention at the time.

Soothingly, Felix tells Miranda that the car is a magic machine that will take them anywhere they need to go. She seems to like the ride, and she’s astonished at all the ordinary things they see along the way. He reassures her that the prison guards won’t be able to see her; indeed, she doesn’t even make a noise going through the metal detector. Offhandedly, he tells Dylan and Madison that he’ll be stopping by the next day to deliver some equipment.

The class is already assembled. Anne-Marie has brought the goddesses in their new outfits: a rainbow gown for Iris, a garment of plants for Ceres, and a nurse uniform with fangs for Juno. The cast likes everyone except Juno, who Shiv says “looks like my wife.” Felix dismisses everyone to rehearse while they shoot his scenes.

8Handz is already in costume; although he knows his lines perfectly, he is still nervous. He asks Felix if they can do a second take; he’s been hearing feedback in his microphone, as if someone else is saying the lines along with him. Trying to seem calm, Felix asks if the voice is male or female, but 8Handz dismissively says it’s probably just his own. Quietly, Felix reminds Miranda not to speak so loudly.