Morality and ethics are a construct of one’s own self, whether they are good is completely up to that society’s idea of normality of the time period you lived. But there is hope. Plato believed that art is a poor replica of nature, and that if art does not teach some sort of moral or ethical lesson to its audience that it was damaging. William Shakespeare, master author as it were, wrote in such depth that one could analyze his works under every lens known to man and come up with the different yet correct conclusion. Because of that I think the best and most efficient way to analyze Shakespeare, this is definitely the case for The Tempest, is through the lens of the moral school of criticism. The Tempest has so many different moral decisions in it that one cannot effectively narrow it down and break down just one situation. To effectively gauge wither or not the story and its characters are teaching us any moral or ethical lessons we would have to look at Shakespeare’s The Tempest as a whole, from Prospero’s use of his magical ability’s, to how the crew reacts and acts once they are stranded on the island, and to how Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love and how all three items play into Prospero’s ulterior motive of restoring his dukedom. Because of all the different choices and situations that are presented throughout the play we must decide which lesson is being learned, would we make the same mistakes, and mostly would we make sound moral and ethical decisions. If given magical powers would you be good? Or would you simply think you’re doing good? Would you make the best ethical decisions? Or …show more content…
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In Act II of The Tempest by William Shakespeare, Antonio reveals that politicians are persuasive and corrupt. Through a cleverly worded dialogue between Antonio and Sebastian, Antonio convinces him to kill his brother, the king of Naples, in order to attain the throne. “O” (2.1.252) laments Antonio beginning the passage with an informal introduction. Through this one syllable, Shakespeare uses diction to convey how Antonio views Sebastian as intellectually inferior to him. To reinforce this Shakespeare begins Antonio’s next sentence with “O”(2.1.274) “By their own fear or sloth” (2.1.257) Antonio continues using a biblical allusion to one of the seven deadly sins, sloth, to convey how evil it is not to seize this opportunity. He uses the bible, which was a very revered text at the time to all, to persuade Sebastian that even God believes men should seize opportunities when they present themselves. In the following few lines the juxtaposition and repetition of “great hope” (2.1.274) and “no hope” (2.1.274) is a means of confusing Sebastian. Antonio cleverly jumbles his words together...
Overall, Shakespeare’s The Tempest mirrors certain themes that were carried out into the real world. From the early settlements during the time of The Requerimiento to The Tempest to the Trail of Tears, Ethnocentrism has led to violence and dehumanization. The ways that the natives were treated because of their different lifestyles makes it harder and harder to come together and live as one. The old saying goes, “people are set in their ways” and that holds true. Both parties, in their belief that they are better, refuse to compromise and communicate. In The Tempest, this theme led to rape and slavery. In the New World, the theme led to death and hundreds of years of discrimination. Shakespeare is known for being a wise man and pulling from universal and eternal themes for his plays and sonnets, and ethnocentrism is one of them.
Shakespeare lived and produced much of his famous works during the time when Queen Elizabeth ruled England and Ireland. This era was known as the Elizabethan Era. The world and its people were quickly evolving. It was the “golden age” of poetry, music and literature. It was in the midst of European exploration that Shakespeare wrote, The Tempest. It would be safe to suggest that many of the worldly events during this time, such as the shipwreck of Sea Venture, global colonization, and the works of Michel de Montaigne, had prodigious influences on Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest.
Through a historical lens, Shakespeare’s The Tempest revolves around the evolving times of England during the Tudor Dynasty in 1552-1603. During those times Queen Elizabeth I was the newly appointed ruler of England after her half-sister, the previous ruler had died. This new change was the new beginning for England. It allowed many opportunities to arise such as a new stock company, provisions for the poor, and a chance for many to explore the world with their new wealth. To thank and impress their new Queen, many set sail to conquer new lands. Similar to history, The Tempest did contained a few curious Englishmen and their king discovering new land but the exact location is unknown. At the time of Shakespeare’s
Discoveries, driven by wonder or necessity, can be challenging and confronting, compelling people to leave their comfort zones. This can be provocative, leading to emotional and intellectual responses. This concept is explored in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest”, and Peter Weirs, Film, Dead Poets Society (1989). In Shakespeare’s play, the characters portray a moralistic experience and rediscover the necessity of compassion and emotion because of abusive, intellectual power leading them to re-evaluate their relationships with other characters. Similarly, In Peter Weirs, Dead poet society, it elucidates the transformative power of introspection that cultivates emotional and intellectual response, leading to self-discovery. Both texts explore
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the most influential writer's of the 16th century. His command on modern English is uncanny and texts that he authored are considered some of the most exceptional pieces of literature. Throughout all of his plays are intricate plot and character development that end with philosophical life lessons that can apply to anyone. In William Shakespeare's the Tempest, Prospero projects the oppressive demeanour that initially made him a prisoner onto Caliban and Ariel which ultimately leads to his shift from ignorance to knowledge.
We can read literature as expressions of universal themes and investigations into human nature and the human conditions, but we can also give alternative readings that question natural assumptions and investigate the 'silences' in a text. In essence, reading the 'politics' of the play. A traditional reading of The Tempest would position Prospero as the victim of unjust betrayal, who stranded on an island with his beautiful, virtuous daughter, uses his magical powers to right the wrong done to him. It is the old story of the 'rightful' ruler who is disposed by the bad guys, but manages to get back his power and live happily ever after.
Since the beginning of civilization, man has craved power, knowledge, but most importantly, freedom. Throughout time, individuals used their assets and cunning to build empires of dominance and legions of followers, while spreading their influence throughout the world. Consequently, this led to power struggles amongst individuals to gain fame, land, glory, and ultimately power. In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, characters engage in a power struggle for freedom and sovereignty to eventually gain self-worth and authority. Shakespeare utilises his character’s temptations to power, their struggle for freedom and sovereignty, and their sense of entitlement to illustrate the human desire to obtain power.
“The Tempest” is a play written by William Shakespeare in early 1600s that has been previewed in different kinds of movies, such as the one made in 2010, directed by Julie Taymor. It is a play containing themes such as; revenge, allusion, retribution, forgiveness, power, love and hatred. When it is compared to the play, there are specific differences seen in the movie, such as; Prospero is reflected as a woman in the movie. The time differences between the play and the movie and how the spirit Ariel is shown as a white man in the movie. The play starts with the story of Prospero, the Duke of Milan. He gets banished from Italy and was cast to sea by his brother Antonio. He has perfected his skills during twelve years of exile on a lonely island. Prospero creates the tempest to make his enemies’ ship to wreck and lead them to the island. Meanwhile, Antonio takes Prospero’s place and starts to make everyone believe he is the duke and makes an agreement with the King of Naples, Alonso. Besides the drama happening in the island, Prospero forgives Alonso and the others.
The Tempest by William Shakespeare reveals a number of significant themes such as religion, revenge, discrimination, punishments, and many more. The three themes that represent this play the best are the use of magic, rebellion against authority, and the relationship between slaves and freedom.
As the great William Shakespeare once said, “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” Out of all of the plays that Shakespeare has written, they all have things in common and they all have things that are dissimilar. In the two plays Macbeth and The Tempest, there are many things that are the same and that are different. Two of these characters that can be compared and contrasted are Macbeth from the play Macbeth and Miranda in The Tempest. These characters, Macbeth and Miranda, within these two plays can be compared and contrasted in many different ways, three of these ways are their conscious, how they treat others, and their position in the kingdom.
Freudian Theory suggests that every being is made up of three parts. Firstly, the id, our most primitive selves, contains our basic instinctual drives and acts to make ourselves happy. Secondly, the ego, which is based on the reality principle, is the mediator between the id and the super ego, and helps people determine what can realistically occur, taking into consideration the repercussions of every action. Finally, the super ego is an internalisation of authority, and is thought to originate from parental guidance as they are the first authority figure we are exposed to. Within a civilisation, this super ego restrains natural, Id desires and demands that we succumb to social pressures of what is right and wrong in society, and makse us feel guilty for even thinking about doing otherwise. The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, gives examples of all three of these parts of the human psyche. Through Caliban, Miranda and Prospero we can see examples of how the Super Ego restrains the basic instincts and drives, leading to unhappiness and malaise in civilisation.
In The Tempest, there are kind and forgiving characters such as Ariel Miranda, and Ferdinand. However, there are also brutal characters such as Caliban, Antonio, Sebastian, and -to some extent- Prospero. Miranda is a particularly forgiven character, something that is noticeable when she sees the sinking ship and says "O, I have suffered with those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel, who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,dash 'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock against my very heart. Poor souls,they perish 'd. Had I been any god of power, I would have sunk the sea within the earth or ere it should the good ship so have swallow 'd and the fraughting souls within her."(1.2.5-13) Very similar to her is Ferdinand, who forgives Prospero for enslaving him simply out love for Miranda. There is also Ariel, whose kind and loyal nature is shown in its love and forgiveness towards Prospero, the man enslaving it. 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
The character Prospero in The Tempest is similar to the witches in Macbeth. Just as the witches in Macbeth are a shiny influence of wickedness and mayhem in the play, Prospero uses his wizardry for bad and not for good. Macbeth is haunted by the witches
Throughout the entirety of human existence, people have been contemplating the effects of nature versus nurture. Are people born with the ability to live with unselfish concern, then corrupted by society? Or are humans essentially evil. If so, how does one define what is good or bad? Considering the subjectivity that follows humanity 's perception of altruism, it is arguable that humans are simply an amalgamation of the environment they are exposed to. In Shakespeare 's The Tempest, humans are depicted as neither inherently good or bad as displayed within the themes of ambition for power, man versus monster and the illusion of justice.