Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The tempest the theme of repentance
The tempest relationship between Miranda and Prospero
The tempest the theme of repentance
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The tempest the theme of repentance
The Tempest: Allegorical to the Bible
The Tempest is not a pure fantasy tale, but a purposeful allegory. The characters in the play are all representative of characters found in the bible. The first, and perhaps most persuasive, arguement would be Prospero symbolizing God. Prospero is seen to be a representative of God for several reasons.
First, he is obviously in control of the actions and has an omnipotent quality. This has been demonstrated by several scenes throughout the play. Consider the power that Prospero possesses, as shown in the Epilogue at the closing of the play:
I have bedimmed The mooontide sun, called forth the mutinous winds, And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault Set roaring war. . . . The strong-based promontory Have I made shake, and by the spurs plucked up The pine and cedar. Graves, at my command, Have waked their sleepers, oped and let them forth By my so potent art (V. i. 41-4, 46-50).
These are obviously superhuman works. In fact, Prospero claims quite definitely that he possesses the power of mighty Zeus himself, for not only does he say that he can make lightning, but he declares that he has actually used the god's own thunderbolt (Still 6): To the dread rattling thunder Have I given fire, and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt.
Having already established that Prospero is the possessor of superhuman power, why would Shakespeare include this information except solely for alligorical purposes (Still 7)? This information serves no purpose except to establish Prospero as a god.
Prospero is also seen in the play performing several roles that Christianity traditionally assign to God: that of the Omnipotent Judge and the Savior of Man.
Prospero is revealed to be the Omnipotent Judge through a speech given by Ariel (Still 7):
. . . . I and my fellows Are ministers of Fate. . . . The powers, delaying, not forgetting, have Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures Against your peace. . . and do pronounce by me Lingering perdition, worse than any death Can be at one, shall step by step attend You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from,
Which here, in the most desolate isle, else falls Upon your heads, is nothing, but heart's sorrow, And a clear life ensuing.
Shakespeare tells us, through Ariel, that Prospero can pass sentance of lingering perdition, but whose mercy can be ga...
... middle of paper ...
...he exile from the garden of Eden story in the Bible. Both involve two characters who are tempted with great power and knowlege by an evil being--Satan. Both are successfully tempted by the evil foce; both eventually suffer for their choices.
"The Tempest", by William Shakespeare, is a very interesting and entertaining story when viewed by its face value. However, when one analyzes the characters, settings, and situations, one realizes the deeper meaning intended by Shakespeare in composing the drama. Through his creation of the island microcosm, which is ruled by Prospero and undermined by Caliban, the Bard creates a masterful work which glorifies a merciful God, who will forgive sins through repentance. In "The Tempest", Shakespeare creates a story that is valuable for more than just entertainment purposes--he creates a work of art.
Works Cited
Still, Colin. Shakespeare's Mystery Play: A Study of "The Tempest". Cecil Palmer, 1921.
Knight, Wilson G. The Crown of Life: Essays in Interpretation of Shakespeare's Final Plays. Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1947.
Leech, Clifford. Shakespeare's Tragedies and Other Studies in Seventeenth Century Drama. Chatto and Windus, 1950.
Prospero is the image of the ideal Renaissance magician; whose magic is obtained from his books and knowledge that, in contrast to Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, has domain over spirits, which represent the passions, Ariel and Caliban. B...
William Shakespeare, in his play The Tempest, uses social order, with particular reference to 17th century gender stereotypes to explain the nature of the main character, Prospero. Prospero is master of the three other main characters, with whom he shares very different relationships. Miranda, his daughter, represents the stereotypical "submissive female" of Elizabethan times who didn't resist; she accedes to everything Prospero says. As a result, Prospero exerts a sort of passive control in relation to Miranda, easily exercising power over her. Caliban, on the other hand, represents the complete opposite of Miranda, fitting an unbridled male role that represents deviation from power. Because of Caliban's digression, Prospero commands him with sheer anger and contempt, an aggressive form of control. Fitting between the roles of Caliban and Miranda is Ariel, Prospero's servant. Ariel, a spirit who is never assigned a gender, represents the middle ground between male and female and is thus treated by Prospero with a mixture of aggressiveness and passiveness. This assertive control results in a paternalistic relationship between Prospero and Ariel. Despite these differing relationships, Prospero utilizes each and every character to reach his ultimate goal: the advancement of his political position in Milan.
* The interview with a person harboring professional or personal knowledge of the research topic was conducted on February 27, 2014 with Diane Makimoto via phone (INSERT NUMBER). She was born in 1963 to American immigrants from Japan and is a judo master and instructor residing in Sacramento. While judo did not exist until after the time of the samurai was over, judo is descending form of jujutsu, a fighting style the samurai used in combat. Makimoto has used judo to keep in touch with her Japanese roots, and she has spent years learning about the samurai from personal study and stories from her older relatives.
Othello has been described as one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays because the play focuses on its themes of good and evil, military, politics, love and marriage, religion, racial prejudice, gender conflict, and sexuality; but the controversy and debate surrounding Othello is “Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?”
To be able to answer this question we must first understand why Prospero can be seen as good or evil. It is fair to say that Prospero is a main protagonist to the plot of Shakespeare’s Tempest. It is due to Prospero's role as a key figure in the play that has put him under so much scrutiny. Many different Shakespearean critics have their own view of Prospero and those that read or see the play also have their own opinion of the way in which Prospero may be seen.
...y without harboring discrimination towards another based on their sexual preferences, skin color, or cultural practices as we are all His children. If homosexuality was destroying the familial values of love that were pre-set by the men who are now trying to dictate what love really enthralls then we would see a lot more of the world and nation in shambles worse than they already are. If the ultimate goal is happiness of divinity should one not be looking to making oneself happy and then expanding that joy and virtue out onto others? Is that not what God wants of his creations, to orate his word and advise his teachings upon others regardless of what society advocates? In this paper I have explained the argument of homosexuality based on the Bible and St. Thomas Aquinas’s theories from the Summa Theologiae, the Theory of Natural Laws, and the Divine Command Theory.
In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the focus throughout the story is on the “human law” as Prospero is seen as a manipulator. Near the beginning of the play, Prospero enslaves Caliban, and he obeys Prospero all the time when Prospero orders him to do so. After Prospero gives instructions what to do, Caliban says in an aside that, “[He] must obey. [Prospero’s] art is of such power/ It would control [his] dam’s god, Setebos, / And make a vassal of [Setebos]” (Shakespeare I.ii.448-450). When Prospero threatens Caliban that he, “would control [Caliban’s] dam’s god, Setebos” (Shakespeare I.ii.449), making Prospero more powerful than the gods. Prospero’s actions prove that he is the top of the Great Chain of Being. Thus, Shakespeare use of indirect characterization demonstrates to the au...
In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda on a deserted island. On the surface, he appears to be a benevolent leader doing his best to protect and care for the inhabitants of the island, especially for Miranda. On closer inspection, however, Prospero plays God, controlling and creating each individual to fit the mold he desires. He takes advantage of his authority over the people and situations he encounters while wearing a facade of integrity and compassion to disguise his wily intentions and to retain love and respect.
Prospero is really the key character about which the nature of illusion and reality centers. He is the one who appears to have been stripped of all his power, and yet he is truly the most powerful; he lives in a world where he can conjure up an illusion of a storm; he lives between a course of regular human action and magic; and he is perceptive about philosophies on the topic of illusion and reality.
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.
Aristoteles brukte biologiske forskjeller som en begrunnelse for sosiale forskjeller mellom kjønnene. Aristoteles mente at kvinner var svakere enn menn, både psykisk og fysisk. Denne tanken gjenspeiler seg også i hans oppfattelse av kjønnsroller. Han så på kvinnen som underordnet når det gjaldt forplantning ettersom det var mannen som bidro med såkornet. Han påsto at i kjønnscellene til mannen lå det nye individet klart og trengte kun en kvinne for å vokse. Aristoteles syn på kvinner og menn har påvirket senere tider og tanken om at kvinner har en passiv og uselvstendig rolle i både samfunnet og familien har vært sentral helt til våre dager.
Sometimes it takes any advantage to attain power. Prospero secures power on the island through his use of magic and manipulation. He is in control of all of the events in the play since he essentially has all of the power. It is also revealed how he maintains his power by exploring the use of his manipulative magic and the hold he has over those around him. By using his magical influence over the natives he has enslaves, Prospero invokes fear in Ariel by stating, “If you complain any more, I’ll split an oak tree and lock you up in it till you’ve howled for twelve years” (Shakespeare 37). He uses his power as a fear tactic to make the native people do his bidding for him. He also uses his magic against those he has shipwrecked on the island. He puts them in a trance to keep him busy until he needs them again, “My magic powers are in full swing, and my enemies are confused and running around in circles. They’re under my control, and I’m keeping them in their crazy fits” (Shakespeare 143). By entrancing the men from the boat, Prospero can keep them under his bid until he sets himself on a course of action. As he states, “.., my enemies have happened to wreck their ship on this island. As I see it, my fate hangs on this lucky event”, he must be precise in how he handles cultivates these people or he will risk the possibility of his plan unraveling before him (Shakespeare 27). The idea behind him having magic is to set him apart
Throughout the whole play there is evidence of power, someone in possession of it and another subordinate to the person with the power. Mostly this happens in the scenes with prospero, as he is almost an omniscient and omnipotent character, with god-like qualities. He has the means to change many things not possible for humans, because of his magic and his power over magical creatures such as Ariel. Caliban also does the will of Prospero;
Prospero presents himself as a victim of injustice, however his belief of justice and injustice is somewhat contradicting. He takes advantage of this authority over other people and situations he encounters while using his integrity and compassion to mask his dangerous plans and to retain love and respect. The Tempest in the end suggests that love and compassion are more effective political tools than violence, hatred or even abusive magic.
'Prospero on top, invisible' which positions him 'close to God' and by his power to manipulate and control the lives of others: