The Theme of Usurpation in The Tempest by William Shakespeare

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The Theme of Usurpation in The Tempest by William Shakespeare

The Tempest is a late romance, which is a mixture of comedy and

tragedy and during the play Shakespeare puts across his Church of

England views on usurpation.

Before we discuss how Shakespeare ensures that the theme of usurpation

and its consequences runs throughout The Tempest, we need to define

the meaning of the term usurpation. Usurpation is when someone

wrongfully seizes/assumes the power or the throne. An example of

usurpation was when Napoleon usurped/seized the power from Louis XVI.

The main plot of the play is to do with Prospero seeking revenge on

his brother for taking his place as the Duke of Milan and leaving him

and his daughter Miranda adrift in a boat to die. Prospero wants order

to be restored and for him to be back as the Duke of Milan.

During the play there are also two subplots involving a couple of

people wanting to usurp the King of Naples and a group of three people

wishing to usurp Prospero.

Some aspects of the idea of usurpation occurs in nearly every scene in

the Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" The theme also occurs in a verity

of different circumstances and between different groups of people all

wanting to overthrow the rightful person for there own benefit. The

main way that Shakespeare has ensured that the theme of usurpation

runs throughout the play is through repetition.

The first usurpation's started way before the play began. For example

his own brother Antonio usurped Prospero the rightful Duke of Milan;

also Prospero usurped the island from Caliban for when Sycorax his

mother died the island became his. There is proof of thi...

... middle of paper ...

... that if he were king there would be no

king.

If there were no king the country would be in chaos for there would be

no one to stop power hungry men from taking over and ruling

themselves, there would be no one to protect the country from war, a

civil war would almost immediately brake out between those who want to

rule the country and there would be nobody to say what's right and

what's wrong.

Overall the play has very traditional and Christian values for example

there is and empathises on the chain of being and that Machiavelli's

idea is completely wrong. Also the Christian view of forgiveness is

also empathised in the play through Prospero when he forgives his

brothers wrong doings although his brother did not apologise and was

not sorry.

The play ended with order being restored just like in a tragedy.

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