Okonkwo in “Things Fall Apart” utilises direct imperatives to instruct those subordinate to him. This is seen throughout the text, such as when Okonkwo orders one of his wives to ‘get me a pot’ and ‘to leave the child alone’. The language used by Okonkwo serves as a tool of subjugation, with the coarse use of direct imperatives and harsh remarks serves to overpower them to the point of them becoming his slaves. Hugh as a societal and familial patriarch is presented in light of a failing patriarch, such as the way in which he represents a static, inward-looking, self-satisfied way of life, whose response to modern outside influences is to ignore them. For example, he is in denial about the colonisation that’s taking place, to the degree that he is refusing it is even happening. In contrast to Hugh, Prospero controls the characters in the play and remains in firm control of the island, he is a learned scholar who has powerful magical abilities and uses his knowledge to keep control of the island and is feared and revered. Okonkwo as a familial patriarch would have been seen as a successful patriarch, due to his domination of those subordinate to him, such as his wives and children, ordering his daughter to ‘sit like a woman’ and nearly killing his wife, ‘is it true that Okonkwo nearly killed you with his gun?’ Thus, his constant efforts to maintain his status also serve to reinforce his power and status. Colonisers are considered the upmost authority and any authority below is answerable to the coloniser. Likewise, Prospero is the coloniser, serving as the main figure head, compared to Hugh and Okonkwo who as societal patriarchs, only encompass certain levels of authority. Thus, being answerable to a higher authority is a clea... ... middle of paper ... ...oth audiences and overall, it is clear that patriarchy is a dominant theme in both texts, and it beautifies the flow of each text in a uniquely definitive approach. The play, written in 1611, showed all the qualities that a Jacobean court audience would have admired. Prospero, much like King James I, is a learned man, in possession of natural authority and an understanding of magic. He was considered by E. Dowden in Shakespeare: His Mind and Art (1875), to be a ‘harmonious and fully developed will.’ And yet a modern audience struggles to consolidate their understanding of Prospero with the archetypal Shakespearean hero. In fact, E. Baughan wrote in a Daily News Review (Jan 8, 1926), he calls Prospero both an ‘insufferable bore’ and a ‘cruel egotist.’ It’s that latter description of the protagonist and hero Prospero that a modern audience is likely to relate to.
...the introduction of the English forces introduces another level of patriarchy. It is clear that patriarchy is a dominant theme in both texts, and it beautifies the flow of each story in a unique approach. Despite all the similarities and differences between characters, the success and failures comes down solely to the audience viewing it.
In the comedic, yet thrilling play, The Tempest, William Shakespeare uses characters such as Caliban, Alonso, and Ariel to show Prospero’s immense cruelness and pure monstrosity. Moreover, these Shakespearean characters are also used to highlight Prospero’s change in character into a kinder and more forgiving person. Prospero starts the play out as a vengeful monster, after an illuminating moment however, his persona transforms into his true identity of a compassionate man.
Within the Obi tribe, Okonkwo is an important man, who has risen from nothing to a man of great wealth and social status. Okonkwo is obsessed with masculinity, and he has a very narrow view of “manliness”. Okonkwo's relationship with his dead father is the root of his violent and ambitious conduct. He wants to rise above his father's legacy of laziness, which he views as weak and therefore feminine. This drive and fierce pride made him a great man, but they are also the source of all of his faults.
In Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, the character Prospero embarks on a journey of self discovery, undergoing a transformation that allows him to achieve a renewed perception of himself and others Prospero who was initially a duke, but later overruled by
Masculinity is a major theme in Things Fall Apart. The epitome of masculinity and power is Okonkwo himself. As a high village elder, he exemplifies the coveted attributes of
Okonkwo’s fear leads him to treat members of his family harshly, in particular his son, Nwoye. Okonkwo often wonders how he, a man of great strength and work ethic, could have had a son who was “degenerate and effeminate” (133). Okonkwo thought that, "No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man" (45).
In summary, Shakespeare’s The Tempest play explores the theme of opposition to the colonial-style authority of Prospero based on various characters’ covert and overt reactions to the master’s antics. For instance, Ariel opposes Prospero’s continuous detention of the former regardless of an earlier agreement to the contrary. Moreover, Caliban expresses his dissatisfaction with the forced labor that her does for Prospero. To prove his opposition to Prospero’s authority, Caliban plans the master’s death. Miranda also makes a statement that indicates her displeasure with the way Prospero executes his authority especially with regard to Ferdinand. The imprisoned Ferdinand also indicates his opposition to Prospero’s power through a disproving statement made before Miranda.
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.
Despite the fact that, Antonio betrays him, takes his position and plots to murder him, but Prospero’s response for that is quite positive. First he put the blame on himself for not taking the responsibility of his duties and following his study. Second, he thought of him as a brother or a human being. His decision is more in the sense of humanity and morality. He forgives his brother since he returns his position as a duke of Milan. Prospero
The relationship between Prospero and Caliban is a perfect demonstration of the dependence relationship between a coloniser and the native of whichever colony he set his eye upon. Colonialism was a subject easily related to by Shakespeare's contemporary audience; with James on the throne the British Empire was beginning to thrive and would soon become the largest in not only the 17th Century world, but one of the largest in history. At the time 'The Tempest' was first performed, 1611, Britain had begun to lay claim to North America and the smaller Caribbean isles, a fact the King was no doubt proud of and, similarly to his addition of the supernatural (a subject that fascinated James), aiming to impress Shakespeare chose to make colonialism a central theme in 'The Tempest'. Within his portrayal of Prospero, Shakespeare skilfully displays this character as the embodiment of all characteristics that define the true colonisers: strength, power, and of course the intense control of all relationships and land he is invested in. Although these characteristics can be seen in all Prospero’s actions and interactions, it is those with his subject, Caliban, which present them most clearly.
In the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected and determined individual whose fatal flaw eventually works against him. Throughout the novel the readers are shown that Okonkwo has many of these Characteristics because he is obsessed with the idea of becoming just like his father. This becomes his flaw in the novel that puts him into exile and makes it hard for him to adjust to the changes that were made with in his village.
The play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare is a very cleverly thought out piece of work. Shakespeare very deliberately inter-relates several different forms of power during the course of the play. There is political power, shown through the plethora of political characters and their schemes, while at the same time parodied by the comic characters. The power of magic and love, and its ability to reunite and absolve also plays a major role in the play. Throughout the play, Prospero, the main character, takes great advantage of his power and authority, both properly and improperly. The epiphany of this however, is realized at the end of the play.
Prospero and Lear are, without a doubt, the two most compelling mature figures in Shakespeare. In a way, one is the flip side, so to speak, of the other. Each represents an aging man's relationship to family, environment, and, most importantly, himself. One might even be so bold as to venture that had Lear lived, he might, through the enormity of his painful transformation, have become a character much like Prospero, a man who has learned bitter lessons from his intercourse with the world and has utilized them to create his own unique reality, becoming, finally, the true master of his destiny.
Shakespeare's "The Tempest" forms a world within itself. Within this world, many topics regarding government, power and colonization are addressed. Shakespeare tackles the discovery of new places and races, the relationship between the colonized and the colonist, old world ideologies on new soil, as well as theories on civilization and government. These aspects at the core reveal a very clear struggle for political power. Prospero's first major monologue creates the foundation of such a theme. In 1.2 lines 30-175 Prospero tell his story recounting the usurpation of the power he had as Duke of Milan, then quickly renews his power on the island. Prospero beings his story with an authoritative tone stating: "Obey and be attentive" (1.2 48). Desiring political power and authority becomes the core from which other themes derive.
Throughout history, there have been many instances of people struggling to identify and cope with change and tradition, and this is no different in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.