In this scene that occurs in act III scene III of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Ariel presents himself to Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian, and Gonzalo for the first time as a frightening harpy, a creature with a bird’s wings and claws and a woman’s face. The mere sight of him would have been terrifying, but the words of his speech are even more so. Ariel reveals himself to be an omniscient instrument in Prospero’s plan for revenge, and an all-powerful, untrustworthy opponent of the group, and in support of Prospero’s plan for revenge. William Shakespeare uses several writing techniques such as personification, alliteration, and diction to emphasize the development of Ariel’s character, as well as further develop the theme of power in the play. …show more content…
In the third sentence of the speech, Shakespeare uses alliteration in the phrase “wound the loud winds.” This helps emphasize the taunt Ariel uses against the group, and stress to the reader the the severity of the situation the group is in. In the fourth line of the speech, Shakespeare uses personification to explain the extent of Ariel’s power over the group, stating “Kill the still-closing waters.” Shakespeare also uses this technique later in the speech, as in line 10, Ariel once again displays his power as he explains Prospero was “exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it.” In this speech, personification is used to draw attention to the threats Ariel is making, and to emphasize the dire situation the group finds themselves in. It also stresses the theme of power, as the personification used draws the reader in and shows them the strength of Ariel’s power and …show more content…
Shakespeare uses rough language to describe the actions taken by the group, such as “foul” and “fools,” as well as in Ariel’s threats. Through these phrases, Ariel further emphasizes his distaste towards the group, and his loyalty towards Prospero and his plan for revenge. This also supports the theme of power, as it shows Ariel’s ability to frighten the group with only his foul words, and a few poetic lines. Shakespeare uses all of these techniques throughout the speech to catch the reader’s attention, and highlight the motives and emotions behind Ariel’s words, as well as emphasize the key theme of absolute
Shakespeare’s portrayal of power reflects the conflicting influences of Medieval Morality plays and Renaissance literature during the Tudor period, demonstrating that the text is a reflection of contextual beliefs. The Third Citizen’s submission to a monotheistic deity in the pathetic fallacy of “The water swell before a boisterous storm – but leave it all to God” qualifies the theological determinism of power due to the rise of Calvinism. Pacino embodies Richard’s desire for royalty in LFR through the emphasis on celebrity culture, as he is determined to film himself in close-up, which although emphasizes the importance of Pacino, leaves out the broader scene. Soliloquies are substituted with breaches in the fourth wall, and his metatheatrical aside to the audience “I love the silence… whatever I’m saying, I know Shakespeare said it”, subverts the cultural boundaries which, deter contemporary American actors in performing Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s breach of the iambic pentameter in “Chop off his head…And when I’m king” strengthens the Renaissance influence, as Richa...
With the semester coming to an end, many students are excited. This especially includes those who will be graduating soon. However, graduation can be seen as a bittersweet moment. On one hand, the graduates enter into a new chapter in their lives. On the other hand, they may lose communication with some of their friends. Unfortunately, this is a natural aspect of each person’s life. Everyone will experience some kind of loss in their life, whether it is person or an object. In The Tempest, Shakespeare discusses the topic of loss. While this theme is not talked about much compared to other themes in the play, it is very important since it is a theme that is included in the 1956 movie adaptation Forbidden Planet. While both works illustrate the ways people deals a loss, the later work demonstrates how the advancement in the world have affected the way modern society
The Tempest, is a timeless play about Prospero getting justice by having his throne back. William Shakespeare uses various dramatic elements to help readers deepen their understanding of the text in the play. The archetype critical theory can be used when reading Act 1, Scene 2 of The Tempest, for enhancing the reader’s understanding of the play. The archetype critical theory is patterns that are universal and have been applied to literature. These archetypes are present in the symbols, imagery, allusions, and dramatic irony of the scene.
William Shakespeare’s dramatic and poetic techniques and his use of hyperbole are used to describe the characters emotions and weaknesses. The use of dramatic irony is used to create personal conflict. This is done throughout the play to describe the characters concerns and their situations.
Commonly, an emphasis is placed on important phrases in any setting, book, play, movie, song, through repetition, and this is significantly utilized by Shakespeare in The Tempest. In a unique example of anaphora, Ariel is pleading with Prospero to have mercy on him and take a year off his sentence for all the good he has done for him: “Remember I have done thee worthy service; Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings” (1.2.248-252). The duplication of the word “thee” throughout the sentence makes it not only personal, but makes it known how much Ariel truly has done solely for Prospero and how much he really deserves a chance to be free for once. Ariel is tired of being a captive and wants his independence for once in his life after working
Throughout the play, Prospero is a figure who talks at rather than to the other characters, including his daughter Miranda, Prince Ferdinand, and Ariel, his airy servant. At the end of Act IV Prospero is caught up in the ecstasy of punishing and determining the fate of his foes. The beginning of Act V, however, marks a change in the character of Prospero, which averts a possible tragedy. Prospero is unsettled even though his plans are reaching fruition. In his talk with Ariel for the first time we see an actual conversation take place. In addition, in the line "...And mine shall." (Shakespeare V.i.20) we see a change of heart on the part of Prospero, and in the following monologue the audience is privy to introspection and contemplation even beyond that of the end of the masque in Act IV "We are such stuff as dreams are made on..."(Shakespeare).
Ariel’s use of subtext communicated to Prospero that his power and consumption with vengeance was causing him to become inhumane. Prospero experiences an epiphany when Ariel says, “[m]ine would, sir, were I human” (V i, Shakespeare). Ariel points out to Prospero that his power is so strong and the revenge consuming him is making him into an evil person. Once Prospero has this moment of realization, he turns his behavior around by first denouncing his magic. Prospero shows how he is done using magic when he says, “[b]ut this rough magic I here abjure; and, when I have required…And deeper than did ever plummet sound I’ll drown my book” (V i, Shakespeare). This illuminating episode and reveal of Prospero’s true character is used by Shakespeare as the casement to emphasize the inner meaning of the work. Shakespeare’s intended meaning of the work as a whole was that things such as hatred or revenge should never overcome and alter your true identity. Prospero exemplifies that revenge is a dangerous tool and can consume the one who uses it. Prospero’s epiphany allows him to find the human part of himself again and he has a realization that he should no longer be a
Many discoveries have the capacity to make people think, however, only confronting discoveries can transform someone. This statement’s truth is embodied in the engagement between Shakespeare’s tragic romance comedy ‘The Tempest’ (1611), focussing on the discovery of revenge and forgiveness, and William Ernest Henley’s Victorian poem ‘Invictus’, exploring human spirit and its discovery in overcoming adversity. These texts lead to the evocation of discovery being a catalyst for renewed perspectives of ourselves and others. They additionally explore how Discovery can broaden understanding and transcend fears/prejudices. These notions demonstrate how a challenging discovery can evoke an individual to make drastic changes in their life, and a lasting
Critics have offered varying evaluations of the characters in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Some consider Prospero to be magnanimous for forgiving his enemies, for freeing Ariel from the confines of a tree, and for treating Caliban with great sympathy until the monster's attempted rape of Miranda. Others view Prospero as an oppressive colonizer and consider both Caliban and Ariel to be his innocent and mistreated subjects. In his article "Reading The Tempest," Russ McDonald argues that the new orthodox interpretation of The Tempest, "which exalts the colonized, is as narrow as the old, which idealizes and excuses the colonizer" (117). He argues that the actual status of the characters is considerably more ambiguous, and he supports his view by analyzing the rhetorical devices present in the play. However, a close examination of the various sounds disbursed throughout the work--including speech, silence, and music--tends to support a less ambiguous view of the characters. Indeed, it tends to lend support to the new orthodox view that Prospero is an oppressive colonizer, for he often threatens his enemies and servants with unpleasant sounds and demands silence from others, including his daughter.
In Hamlet’s speech, Shakespeare’s efforts to target his Elizabethan audience develop the theme of the frailty of man. Shakespeare conveys this underlying theme of the play by subt...
“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.
Yet another way Shakespeare conveys the theme is through the use of characters. "What are these / So wither'd and so wild in their attire, / That look not like the inhabitant's o' the earth, / And yet are on't." (Shakespeare 6) This is Banquo describing the Three
Shakespeare uses soliloquies like the “to be, or not to be” speech to get his audience to begin to question bigger things like whether or not living is a choice. After getting them to contemplate such questions he answers them, more often than not in the opposite way of what the audience would think. For example, by the end of the play he has proven that while many think life is a choice, it rarely ever is. Shakespeare uses word wars to give action that is different for battles where weapons can kill. These word battles reveal how the characters truly feel, and hint towards what will happen later in the play. The final way that Shakespeare uses rhetoric in Hamlet is through plays within a play. He uses these to confirm suspicions, and also to prepare the audience for the tragedy that is in store at the end of the play because of what is found out during the play within the play. Shakespeare was a very skilled writer who was able to pack a lot of meaning into his
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them. Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda the ideal woman. From this perspective, The Tempest can be used to objectify the common expectations and treatment of women within the 16th and 17th Centuries and compare and contrast to those of today.
In the world of the Tempest, we have moved beyond tragedy. In this world Hamlet and Ophelia are happily united, the Ghost comes to life again and is reconciled with his brother, the old antagonisms are healed. Lear learns to lessen his demands on the world and to accept it with all its threats to his own ego. This is not a sentimental vision, an easily achieved resolution. It takes time--in this case sixteen years--and a measure of faith in the human community that one is prepared to hold onto in the face of urgent personal demands. This play seems to be saying that theatrical art, the magic of Prospero, can achieve what is not possible in the world of Milan, where everyone must always be on guard, because it's a Machiavellian world ruled by the realities of power and injury and there is no Ariel to serve us with the power of illusions.