The Tempest Research Paper

Good versus Evil in The Tempest

Our group chose the theme of good versus evil to explore on our map because most of the characters in The Tempest can’t completely fit into either “hero” or “villain” categories. Much like real life, the characters of this play fall into the “gray area” between good and evil, which we thought would be interesting to show not just through quotations, but in the actual shape and colors of the island. In addition to showing the contrast between good and evil, our map also shows how neither good nor evil can exist without the other, and how no one, not even in real life, can be purely good or bad.

Not even Prospero, the assumed protagonist, falls into an exact category. From one perspective, his enslavement of the island’s natives - Caliban, Ariel, and other spirits - was completely unfair, and his treatment of them is cruel, but Prospero always has a reason for

When Prospero and Miranda first arrived on the island, Caliban was welcoming of the two strangers: “And then I loved thee, / And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle [...] Cursed be I that did so!” (1.2.402-406), suggesting that Caliban was once amiable and cooperative, but his attempt to rape Miranda shows his stronger evil side. Just like as Prospero appears mostly good and respectable, with a hint of evil in his actions, Caliban seems mostly evil and monstrous with just a hint of humanity left in him. His shred of goodness and appreciation actually shows through his worship of Stephano: ““These be fine things, an if they be not sprites. That’s a brave god and bears celestial liquor. I will kneel to him” (2.2.120-122). Caliban’s ability to repeatedly respect foreigners without learning from the last time he welcomed strangers shows that he still has a small amount of goodness left in him, despite the villainous way he is portrayed throughout the rest of the