Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” is a play that explores themes of power, colonialism, forgiveness, and the nature of art. The play tells the story of a sorcerer named Prospero who has been marooned on a remote island with his daughter, Miranda. Through his magical powers, Prospero conjures a storm that brings his enemies to the island, leading to a series of events that challenge his ideas about power and revenge. In this page of example essays, we will delve into the various aspects of “The Tempest,” examining its characters, themes, language, and historical context to gain a deeper understanding of this complex work of literature. We will also explore how the play’s themes continue to resonate with audiences today and consider its relevance to contemporary issues surrounding power, race, and identity.
The Tempest is a play originally written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600s, however since then it has been previewed in different movies and plays, such as the one directed by Julie Taymor in 2010. The play contains many different themes, however forgiveness and repentance are the two most emphasized. When the movie is … Read more
Revenge is one of the strongest and at the same time most disapproved of emotions. Almost everyone has at some point in their life been so deeply hurt by another that they desired some type of vengeance. However, most of us are able to keep these impulses for revenge in check, understanding that although our … Read more
n William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, almost every character in the play desires to obtain power and eventually become the lord of the island. The drama is filled with tricks and schemes that are used by the characters in order to throw others off their path or boost an individual’s own command. In the beginning, we … Read more
William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest is a tragicomedy that makes conscious points about postcolonialism in the New World. The play tells a story about Prospero, who is trying to regain his dukedom from his brother Antonio after he is exiled to live on an island with his daughter, Miranda. Prospero arrives at Sycorax’s island and … Read more
Shakespeare was an expert at making people and things appear to be what they aren’t. Whether it be women disguised as men, characters posing as friends and family whilst planning to commit deceit, and characters being driven mad; identities are consistently blurred and misguided. In many cases, the idea of appearance and reality is the … Read more
In Barbara Fuchs’ Conquering Islands: Contextualizing The Tempest, the writer discusses the modern interpretations of The Tempest by William Shakespeare is Americanized in that its readers believe The Tempest to be a representation of the European conquest on America; however, Fuchs believes that, although this belief keeps The Tempest relevant, it is a representation of … Read more
In The Tempest, Caliban is described as a “savage,” a “demi-devil,” a “hag-seed,” and a “strange fish,” but he could also be described as a “native.” Scholars have speculated him to represent how the English would’ve reacted to the Native Americans in the New World. Others have stated that his character represents the fear of … Read more
We are introduced to Caliban in the latter half of the first act of the Tempest. Caliban is the son of the malevolent witch Sycorax, and is one of the most intricate characters of this play. Caliban’s multifaceted nature is slowly revealed throughout the play. Caliban is described as a “blue-eyed hag” and a “freckled … Read more
Shakespeare wrote his plays for everyone, never just for aristocrats and nobles or the middle and lower class. He made his works to be relatable to all. As centuries passed, the original visions of his works were lost. Now a day, artists are often compelled to ‘dumb down’ his works so audiences can understand and … Read more
The involute and incitant amalgamation of the macrocosmic themes of revenge, tragedy, comedy and romance within Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ has inspired many modern authors, such as Margaret Atwood’s adaptation of this text, ‘Hag-seed’. Both texts explore the metaphorical and literal designates of confinement. They withal highlight the damaging consequences revenge can have on a person, … Read more
Adaptations of plays tend to have a drastic change going from paper to screen. There are certain elements of the play that cannot be interpreted onto the screen one of those being power. Everything that is envisioned by the original writer will not be adapted as he or she initially envisioned. That is the case … Read more
Harry Jaffa begins his article by saying that Shakespeare is the only known poet who has written both tragic and comedy plays. He says there is no direct evidence that shows if Shakespeare was influenced by Socrates or not because his work has intelligibility to it. He quotes Leo Strauss when drawing a connection between … Read more
Shakespeare is well known for placing many theatrical references in his plays. They can be found in The Tempest, Macbeth, and perhaps most famously in Jaques “All the world’s a stage” speech in As You Like It. Despite this running theme, the use of this theatrical metaphor stands out much more noticeably in Hamlet. In … Read more
Composers overtime continue to focus their texts on humanity’s flaws to reveal the evil of man. The idea of humanity being easily manipulated and tempted to commit evil is collectively explored by both composers in their textual conversations. Margaret Atwood’s 21st-century metafictive novel Hag-Seed (2016) crafts a textual conversation with William Shakespeare’s Jacobean pastoral play … Read more
Themes of colonization are abundant in The Tempest by Shakespeare. In fact, there are only two scenes in the whole play that have nothing to do with colonization. This is because during the time that The Tempest came out, the populace of England was very interested in colonialism. In The Tempest, Shakespeare uses various characters … Read more
Impressive or thoughtful? In his argument Ronald Takaki indicates the reader that, the meaning might be deeper than one might assume when the play “The Tempest” is watched or read. One might think it is only sightly and impressive, but characteristic features and setting open up a “New World” for us in the eyes of … Read more
Shakespeare’s work has always been one to influence and touch people around the world for years. The themes behind each of his writings are known for their deep meanings and applicability to a persons life. For instance, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest both have themes and messages within them that are meaningful. The story … Read more
In “From Gender, race, Renaissance Drama,” Ania Loomba discusses Miranda from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and the schooling she receives from her father that is based on obedience, where he holds power over her life as property and an exchange. Because Miranda was growing up on an island without any other female figures, she … Read more
Alexander Kino Mrs. Scheidegger English 9H 25 May 2018 Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the Wreck of the Sea Venture “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” – Charles Caleb Colton (Charles). And imitate is exactly what William Shakespeare did. In his final drama The Tempest, Shakespeare draws heavy inspiration from the wreck of … Read more
Feminism has been a prominent movement in the 21st century with people advocating it more than ever. Women are now believed to have the same stature as that of men. In most parts of the world, women can now get jobs that used to seem suitable for only men. In the 17th century however, … Read more
In order to evaluate enchantment and disenchantment in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Jonson’s The Alchemist, the terms and the dynamic that incorporates them, has to be defined. Jason Crawford defines enchantment against disenchantment, signalling a co-dependant relationship. Referencing Max Weber’s philosophy that “disenchantment is modernity” (qtd in Crawford 1), he employs enchantment “as the … Read more
The Undermining Power of Masculinity in The Tempest “The more people argue loudly, against feminism, the more they prove we need it” -Caitlin Moran, How to Be A Woman Sycorax is ostensibly absent from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The witch does not appear on stage once, as she dies long before the actions of the … Read more
The Tempest – William Shakespeare King Alonso of Naples, his son Ferdinand and a few others sail home after attending the wedding of Alonso’s daughter in Italy. They encounter a rough storm which is caused by Prospero. He lives on an island with his daughter Miranda and Ariel, a spirit who is also Prospero’s servant. … Read more
The Tempest by William Shakespeare is portrayed as one of the most magical plays as well as his last play. One of the most prominent figures in the play, Prospero, is known to wield a formidable power of art and expertise in having absolute authority. Many argue that Prospero is an extension of Shakespeare for their supremacy throughout the scene, along with outstanding mastery in art and the epilogue that explicitly demonstrates resemblances between the two.
Throughout the play, Prospero is notably always in control of the situation, just like how Shakespeare is in control of the play. For instance, when Prospero pretends to oppose the love between Miranda and Ferdinand. Audience knows that he only did that in order to make them value their love given that he thinks its too effortless. With this in mind, it is important to note that Ferdinand is separated from his companion due to Prospero’s magic. The fact that Prospero starts a scheme to make them fall in love in the first place implies that he is displaying the role of a playwright. Prospero continuously demonstrate his authority by pulling strings and leave nothing at fate. At the same time, Shakespeare also manipulates his play, particularly in plays revolving around magic. Most compelling evidence is that there are trapdoors to make actors or objects suddenly appear on the stage, as well as using different objects to produce certain sound effect. This suggests that Shakespeare has ultimate control over the stage. Thus, similarities between Prospero and Shakespeare are depicted through their ability to manipulate the situation throughout the play.
Prospero is considered as a remarkably talented magician, which corresponds to Shakespeare who is regarded as the most prominent and influential playwright from the renaissance period. Both the magician and playwright utilises people and objects to generate dramatic effect, meaning that Prospero’s magic is comparable to Shakespeare’s plays. Prospero has mastery over his art to perform magic tricks such as enchantments, summon storms, or even to be invisible. However, many can only see the outcome of his magic and often overlooked at the efforts and sacrifice he made to master his art. It is crucial to realize that Prospero studies magic for a very long time and even “pushed his duties of Duke of Milan aside,” which leads to his down turn in the beginning of the play (Smith 2016). In other words, Prospero sacrifices his time and his duty to pursue his art. Shakespeare, similarly, has enjoyed both “fame and considerable critical attention” throughout his life. He faces challenges such as his unique language and audience’s reaction, especially in topics reflecting society. Nonetheless, he continues to practice his art despite the controversial. Given these points, it is necessary to see how a great deal of practices is needed to achieve a certain level of mastery. Both of them put in a large amount of effort to their art.
The epilogue significantly represents Shakespeare through Prospero in the use of language and by breaking the fourth wall, which allows Prospero to address the audience directly. Since this is Shakespeare’s last play, the epilogue has a notable symbolism. Some argue that Prospero’s intention to renounce his magic corresponds to how Shakespeare is retiring. From line 7 in the epilogue, “And pardon’d the deceiver, dwell,” audience can see that Prospero is asking for forgiveness. This can be further interpreted that when Shakespeare wrote this play, this theme is still new, therefore he doesn’t know whether the outcome will be more positive or negative. Another key point is that there are many symbolism in words that Prospero is using, such as “Island” which figuratively means Shakespeare’s stage, and “release me from my bands” means he wants the audience to release him from his career. In the last line, Shakespeare asks the audience to clap for him in the hope that they are satisfied, meaning that he wants the audience to be happy, just like Prospero, who wants people on the island to be happy. Through this, the audience can speculate that Shakespeare is actually saying his farewell in the epilogue of his last play.
All things considered, The Tempest allows readers to get a reminiscent of Shakespeare through Prospero. Shakespeare successfully tell his points by creating similarities between him and Prospero and make readers capture his points. To conclude, The Tempest is packed with countless fascinating minutiae that allows audience to grasp the beautiful meanings behind each word.
2019-7-28-1564273680
