Forgiveness is such a natural element of man, that hatred, even in the most opportune situations, is forgotten. In The Tempest, Shakespeare delivers this insightful message through Prospero, a complex and angered individual, with the relationships he shares and the magical abilities he possesses. Mistreated by those he least expected, Prospero, in an attempt to regain his lost honor, seeks revenge. However, it is in this process that he is able to learn the reality of what it means to be at peace and thus, forgives. Similarly, notable social activist, Desmond Tutu, describes his ideology on forgiveness, as well as the experiences that aided him towards this understanding, in his article, Desmond Tutu: ‘I am sorry’ – the three hardest words …show more content…
He feels irritation in remembering this event, but considering his father’s situation, he asks himself, “If I traded lives with my father . . . would I have behaved as he did?” (Tutu). This reflection allows him to forgive his father. To conclude, forgiveness is the result of empathy in both situations, which is achieved through the containment of emotions; contrarily, an emotional state is required to attend remorse. To forgive is less challenging when there is remorse, as, satisfyingly for the forgiver, it is longed for. The King of Naples, Alonso, substantially supported Antonio in his attempt to overthrow Prospero, for who he had much dislike. However, due to his involvement, he later feels guilt and desperately seeks forgiveness, as shown when he says, “The dukedom I resign, and do entreat thou pardon my wrongs” (V. i. 118-119). Seeing this remorse, Prospero is willing to forgive Alonso, as he does while embracing him, for the reason that he has been “paid back in some way” (Tutu). In truth, Alonso is a respectable individual, as Prospero understands when he observes him grieve over his sins and the loss of his son, that was, simply, misguided. According to Desmond Tutu, who expands on this idea, in certain circumstances, no matter how much goodness one possesses, there is always the
Must one forget before one can forgive? Forgiveness involves not holding a sin against a person any longer, but forgiveness is a decision of the will. Since we cannot selectively remove events from our memory, it is impossible to truly forget sins that have been committed against us. Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, in his book The Sunflower, writes of an experience that occurred when he was a prisoner in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. He recounts a day when he was taken from work and lead to the bedside of a dying man. The dying man Karl, a member of the SS, confessed to Simon about his dreadful act for he sought absolution from a Jew. As Karl begs for Wiesenthal to forgive him, Wiesenthal remained silent and walked away. Wiesenthal’s purpose is to argue whether the inhumane acts of the SS should be forgiven. Because
Forgiveness and justice are very similar than we believe them to be. We believe that justice is
The essay "Forgiveness," written by June Callwood, explores the concept of forgiving and how it influences people's lives for the better. Her work describes many components of forgiveness, such as how difficult it can be to come to terms with, why it is such a crucial part of humanity, and how it affects all people. Her essay aims to prove that forgiveness is the key to living peacefully and explains specific examples of people who have encountered extremely difficult situations in their lives- all of whom found it within themselves to forgive. To clearly portray this message in her writing, Callwood uses several strategies. She includes fear inducing statistics, makes many references to famous events and leaders, and uses a serious convincing tone, all of which are very effective.
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do concerning one another’s well-being. The step of forgiveness requires us to look past the wrongs that have been done to us, and without any sort of retribution or atonement of sorts, drop that wrong-doing out of the scope of the relationship and move on. Christianity and Psychology have differing, yet surprisingly similar ways of looking at the role of forgiving one another. The agreement is obvious, Psychologists and Christians alike recognize that forgiveness has great value in preserving relationships, not just personal but communal as well. The disagreement tends to be a difference of opinion in what context forgiveness is appropriate. The question then bears itself, who is right? Should we
Forgiveness is crucial for a clear conscience and peace of mind for the both of them. However, all of this is arguable by the fact that today’s experiences are incomparable to those of Hitler’s times. One cannot begin to place one in each other’s shoes and know exactly how to respond to the events happening. One can only guess how they would respond, but until they are in that moment, all plausible reasoning can change. Nevertheless, forgiveness continues to be an aspect of everyday life in every century.
“Forgive and forget” is a common phrase in our society. However, one may argue that mistakes are never truly forgotten. The Kite Runner suggests that the best way to resolve your past and make up for your mistakes is through doing good. Through Rahim Khan’s wisdom, the actions of Baba, and the journey of Amir, Khaled Hosseini illustrates that the need for redemption, due to unresolved guilt, can haunt someone throughout their life.
Shakespeare's play, The Tempest tells the story of a father, Prospero, who must let go of his daughter; who brings his enemies under his power only to release them; and who in turn finally relinquishes his sway over his world - including his power over nature itself. The Tempest contains elements ripe for tragedy: Prospero is a controlling figure bent on taking revenge for the wrongs done to him, and in his fury he has the potential to destroy not only his enemies, but his own humanity and his daughter's future.
There are many elements in Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, which one cannot reconcile with the real world. The main theme in The Tempest is illusion, and the main focus is the experiment by Prospero.
The nucleus of the plot in Shakespeare's The Tempest revolves around Prospero enacting his revenge on various characters who have wronged him in different ways. Interestingly enough, he uses the spirit of Ariel to deliver the punishments while Prospero delegates the action. Prospero is such a character that can concoct methods of revenge but hesitates to have direct involvement with disillusioning his foes. In essence, Prospero sends Ariel to do his dirty work while hiding his involvement in shipwrecking his brother, Antonio, from his daughter, Miranda.
The illusions of justice and freedom, and what they truly are, has been a reoccurring theme throughout the works. The definitions of justice and freedom have become so construed throughout the times. In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero tries to enthrall his audience in his narrative of social justice. The idea of justice the play portrays represents one individual who controls the fate of all others. Their freedom is controlled by the interference of those around them. Although he spends most of the play righting the wrongs done to him, he is misdirecting so to hide his true motive. Prospero misconstrues the definitions of justice and freedom by enslaving Ariel and Caliban, using magic for his own good, and creating a false happy
The passage below is found in the opening act of one of Shakespeare's most illusive plays of control and manipulation. The word "deception" is defined as "the act of misleading" or "to trick, cheat, lie, and mislead". From this definition, it is obvious that deception is normally perceived to be evil and results in the harm of others mentally and physically. It leads to broken hearts, untold truths, or even unpunished murder. However, in Shakespeare's The Tempest, deception is used as a virtuous art to manipulate an unjust situation and rectify it.
“My ending is despair… Mercy itself and frees all faults” (Epilogue.15-18) Prospero begs to be forgiven for his sins; sins accumulated by multitude acts of villainy. He develops into a villain though the emersion into villainy is hindered by his true nature. In The Tempest by William Shakespeare, a variety of characters exhibit acts of villainy, yet Prospero demonstrates a developmental villain persona throughout the whole play.
This is good forgiveness in some characters is often countered in many positions such as Antonio's power seeking betrayal, and his arrogance and inability to acknowledge Prospero and his generosity in forgiving him. This is shown where Prospero says to Antonio in Act 5, Scene 1 “For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother would even infect my mouth, I do forgive thy rankest fault; all of them; and require my dukedom of thee, which perforce, I know, thou must restore,”(5.1.130-135) thus showing great mercy to his brother after all Antonio had done to him.
The Tempest, like any text, is a product of its context. It is constructed in relation to moral or ethical concerns of 17th century European Jacobean society. The resolution of conflict appears 'natural' or an inevitable consequence if regarded in relation to the concerns of its context. The resolution of conflict in this play incorporates Prospero being returned to his 'rightful' or natural position as Duke of Milan, his daughter Miranda getting married to Ferdinand, and the party returning to Milan leaving the island to the 'monster', Caliban. The resolution is a consequence of the concerns of the time, including the idea of the divine right of kings, courtly love, and colonisation.
For Prospero those who wronged him must suffer for what they did to him before he offers them his forgiveness, even if it means ...