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Chapter 37
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hag-Seed, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Theater and The Tempest
Vengeance
Imprisonment and Marginalization
Transformation and Change
Grief
Summary
Analysis
In the classroom, Sal is crying and whimpering while Tony and Sebert flail their arms, shouting at imaginary demons. Lonnie is hiding behind the table. 8Handz worries that they overdid the drugs, but Felix insists he followed the instructions; still, they need to speed up the action in order to finish by the time the official play ends.
Just as Prospero uses magic powers to bring down his enemies, Felix uses the fantastic illusions produced by drugs. However, Felix’s tactic makes clear how much his powers depend on external help, like that which he receives from 8Handz.
Themes
On Felix’s cue, Red Coyote and TimEEz (as Stephano and Trinculo) “prance” into the classroom, to the alarm of all the politicians. They begin to make fun of the drugged men, saying they could “put them on show” as “street people. Addicts. Dregs of society.” Red Coyote points out that lots of people would be interested in seeing Ministers high on drugs.
The prisoners are voicing the exact sentiments that the politicians have displayed towards them by using the prison for photo-ops and condemning its residents. Even though they are ostensibly powerless compared to the politicians, they have managed to make them feel the sting of imprisonment.
Themes
A moment later Leggs (as Caliban) enters with his back-up dancers and launches into the new number he’s written for this moment. The politicians, he says, have “been callin’ me a monster,” but they’re the ones who “stole…cheated…bribed…[and] lied.” He points out that they’re really the “monstrous” ones in this situation. Tony and Sal start shrieking, while Lonnie begs them to pull themselves together.
In his rap, Leggs shows how much the stigma of criminality depends on social perception, rather than actual deeds. Arguably, the politicians have harmed more people with their policymaking than the prisoners have with their petty crimes; but until now, they’ve been insulated from retribution by their privilege.
Themes
Seeing how scared the men are, even 8Handz starts to soften; he asks Felix if he feels sorry for them. In Felix’s ear, Miranda whispers that she would feel sorry for them, “were I human.” Felix begins muttering a response, using one of Prospero’s lines to Ariel. When 8Handz looks at him in confusion, he reocovers himself and instructs his assistant to cue the goblins. Miranda whispers that she will do it, and asks Felix in a whisper if he loves her.
Even though Felix feels he’s undertaken this project of revenge on Miranda’s behalf, it’s actually her spirit who speaks against it. She’s grown from a creation of Felix’s imagination to someone who can argue against him and push him to change himself—she can even question if his behavior towards her really constitutes love.
Themes
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