The Tempest/Hag-Seed Symposium

"…Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises…"

One of Shakespeare's truly original and most personal plays, The Tempest is a symphonic vision of forgiveness, discovery and self-discovery. Famous for its language, context, enchanting characters and breathtaking theatricality, the play is a reflection of the world's most famous playwright at the height of his powers and at the end of his remarkable career.

This tempest is not only in Prospero – the storm lies in the contradictions and ambiguities the story throws up about freedom and slavery, civilisation and barbarism, legacy and letting go, lust and chastity, youth and age, revenge and forgiveness. The sea is a place of transformation but also represents the capriciousness of nature, chaos, or fate.

Sport for Jove will unpick the play with students through live performance and analysis, and direct contrast and comparison with Margaret Atwood's Hag-seed in this unmissable performance symposium.

"... From powerful theatrical renditions to in-depth analysis, students explored key textual values and major scenes from William Shakespeare’s drama The Tempest in dialogue with Margaret Atwood’s prose fiction novel Hag-Seed ... All students commented that they found the seminar insightful and felt that it greatly enhanced their understanding of both texts and the Module A: Textual Conversations rubric." – Julie Andonovski, English Teacher at Warrawong High School

Image credit: Seiya Taguchi