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
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
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.
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
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).
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.
“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.
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
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
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
The means in which Shakespeare develops the dialogue between his characters allows the reader to hear the words as if they are being spoken to them personally. This helps in understanding the personality of each character. Once a reader develops a feel for each character and who they are, the audience begins to foreshadow and analyze a theme for the story. Shakespeare uses imagery and repetition of events in his dialogue to make the story easy to understand. Overall, diction place an important role in every story whether it be describing a character, developing a plot, or understanding a theme.
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
Ostensibly, The Tempest is a play based around Prospero: his power to punish versus his power to forgive. ?Many scholars believe that this is a semi-autobiographical work, written towards the end of Shakespeare's literary career?(Davidson 241). This idea is reinforced throughout the play, especially towards the end and in the epilogue:
The Genre of The Tempest The Tempest is customarily identified as the William Shakespeare's last piece. These marginal issues aside, The Tempest is the forth, final and finest of Shakespeare's great and/or late romances. Along with Pericles, Cymbeline and The Winters Tale, The Tempest belongs t the genre of Elizabethan romance plays. It combines elements of Tragedy (Prospero's revenge/Loss of a royal son) with those of romantic comedy (the young lover Ferdinand and Miranda) and, like one of Shakespeare's problem plays, Measure for measure, it poses deeper questions that are not completely resolved at the end. The romantic gesture is distinguished by the inclusion (and synthesis) of these tragic, comic, and problematic ingredients, and further marked by a happy ending(usually concluding in a masque or dance) in which all, or most, of the characters are brought into harmony.
The Tempest Genrefication For years, it’s been up for debate exactly which category The Tempest fits best. The Tempest was Shakespeare’s last play before his death and has caused confusion behind the inspiration for the characters and most important, the genre. The reason no one knows what category to put The Tempest in because of the many different components in the play. The Tempest has marriage like a comedy, a character of nobility who has a downfall like a tragedy, and has a muted tone of happiness as in romance. The Tempest should be labeled as a romance because of its acknowledgement of evil fits perfectly in the category of romance.
Through the elements of technique portrayed in this essay, it is clear to see that Shakespeare is able to influence the reader through soliloquies, imagery, and dual understanding. This overall influence being both the communication of a deeper meaning, and a more complex understanding of the events and statements within Hamlet.