The Tempest Vs. The Forbidden Planet

An adaptation is defined as the revamping of a genre of literature into a modern form of entertainment, more often film. It is due to these adaptations that William Shakespeare is as popular today as he was during the days of the “Golden Age” and purposefully receded hairlines. Maybe even more so today because his works have reached a wider audience, across countries and continents. His plays have seen their fair share of adaptations, from different cultural takes to generational representations. Adaptations are quite necessary to keeping classic literature alive. As times change, so do fads and slang, and things that were popular in a previous century will be seen as done and dried out in a later one. Adaptations are ultimately alternate

The Tempest being one of Shakespeare’s more unrealistic plays, it allowed a lot of room for imaginative freedom. The movie definitely takes advantage of that fact as it touches base with the play’s plot, but in aesthetic is quite far from the original. In fact, one could call the Forbidden Planet an alternate universe to The Tempest, rather than an adaption. Aside from one being located on earth, and the other on the planet Altair IV, this Shakespearean adaptation definitely plays homage to it’s origins, with very similar plotline and thematic choices. Both share unity of time, place and action: they are set within a 24 hour period, the setting stays the same throughout, and they both depict one purpose, everything is all formulated to contribute and tie in with the plot. While the adaptation is quite unique because it’s set in a different time period and planet altogether, the plotline does mimic that of Shakespeare’s. The characters are mirror images of those in the Tempest, making it easy to spot who is who. When we first meet Morbius and Alta, a father and daughter pair who are the only humans on the untamed planet of Altair IV, it becomes clear to see that their situation is identical to that of Prospero and his daughter Miranda, who too became stranded on a wild land, the only two survivors. However, the movie’s clever incorporation of Ariel and Caliban as

The Id as defined by Freud as the unorganized part of the personality structure that contains a person’s basic, instinctual drives. Id is also the only component left over from birth. Perhaps that was a point on which Wilcox agreed with Shakespeare, that nature rules over nurture. Wilcox also greatly utilized cinematic elements in his adaption to emphasize mood or set the tone for a character. The most recognizable scene this is done in is when the the Captain and his spaceship first land on the planet, Robby appears to them in a cloud of dust, almost like smoke. This from the start compares him to Ariel, a gender ambiguous spirit. The Forbidden Planet never strayed too far from the original plotline, but it’s unique setting allows it be a stand alone film, one that can be viewed without knowing of The