Essay on William Shakespeares The Tempest - 2096 Words

William Shakespeares The Tempest Love, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a â€Å"strong affection†, a â€Å"warm attraction†, an â€Å"unselfish loyal and benevolent concern† for another. It is â€Å"to feel a passion, devotion, or tenderness† for another. Love is simple and yet so utterly complex. Love is that which has the power to build you up and when taken away has the potential to knock you down. The Tempest by William Shakespeare is a political play with a love story woven throughout it. This tale of passion is one that is presented through Prospero’s daughter Miranda and Alonso’s son Ferdinand. Miranda and Ferdinand set themselves up for what they believe to be a life of bliss, but is it merely a spell cast upon them by Prospero, is he†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"I have done nothing but in care of thee, of thee, my dear one; thee, my daughter, who art ignorant of what thou art . . . my art† (1.2. 16-18, 25). From the beginning of the play, it wa s clear that Prospero uses his magic for his daughters sake; â€Å"more for Miranda’s protection than for his own pleasure or power† (Miller 139). Thus audiences are aware that Miranda is a cherished possession of her father’s, and they could assume its importance in the future events of the play. There are countless stances taken on Miranda’s purpose and depth, when analyzed by different groups. Some view Miranda as a symbol, explaining that she â€Å"appears either as an archetype of plight womanliness or as an allegorical, sentimentalized figure for the tender and fecund aspects of untamed nature† (Slights). Some see her as a tool; claiming she is â€Å"not as emblematic of the natural world, but as a cipher, a figure important only for her unwitting role in helping to realize her father’s political aspirations† (Slights). While on an even more extreme level, the feminists take the stance that â€Å"Miranda appears . . . as a prototype of that unlikely invention of Puritan conduct book authors and late-twentieth century scholars: the woman who is chaste, silent, and obedient† (Slights). In this paper, Miranda will be portrayed as the untainted female essence of the island with very limited exposure to people (her father,Show MoreRelatedEssay on William Shakespeares The Tempest1420 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeares The Tempest Consider the character of Prospero and show how he used his position to control many of the characters in the play and how his actions contribute to the dramatic effectiveness. How do his actions and the attitude of the characters to him relate to the events and thinking of Shakespeares day? In the Tempest, the character of Prospero is the protagonist. Prospero is the father of Miranda and has spent twelve years on the island Read MoreEssay on William Shakespeares The Tempest2363 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Shakespeares The Tempest Generally acknowledged as one of Shakespeares final plays, The Tempest may be described as a romantic tragi-comedy - where love and contentment prosper despite the threatening presence of evil forces. However, beyond the almost fairy-tale like exterior lies a seemingly direct approach to a greatly topical debate at the time. This was the supposed contrast between civilised and uncivilised persons, brought to the fore as a resultRead More Prospero in William Shakespeares The Tempest Essay1246 Words   |  5 PagesProspero in William Shakespeares The Tempest Prospero has long been read as one of Shakespeare’s most cherished and provocative protagonists. His timeless role in â€Å"The Tempest† has provided readers and critics with insights into many attributes of Shakespeare as a man, his works, and the political views that are personified in his play. The historical context of â€Å"The Tempest† is one that convincingly conveys the political views of the English people of his time, relating to the colonizationRead MoreThe Role Of Utopia In William Shakespeares The Tempest1509 Words   |  7 Pagesnovels and plays have been written about utopian and dystopian society. Gonzalo, a character in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest describes how he would be able to form a utopian society on the Island he has been shipwrecked on with many others. However, the current state of the island and its inhabitants are living in a very dystopian society. The state of the island where the characters of The Tempest are shipwrec ked is far from the definition of a utopia, because of the complete lack of equalityRead MoreEssay on Mothers in William Shakespeares The Tempest1502 Words   |  7 PagesMothers in William Shakespeares The Tempest Although Miranda’s mother and Sycorax never actually appear in The Tempest, their memories occupy a precarious position in Prospero’s will to power. Prospero invokes the memory of Miranda’s mother to legitimize his lineage, yet feels threatened by the control she exerts over it. His narration deftly erases his wife’s presence from Miranda’s memory, rendering him the sole purveyor of his daughter’s imagination. Prospero employs a discourse whichRead More Slavery and Freedom in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest Essay1978 Words   |  8 PagesSlavery and Freedom in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tempest† The subtly comedic interactions and juxtapositions between masters and slaves in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tempest† generate a question which has been the source of much controversy throughout history: are the hierarchical classifications â€Å"slave† and â€Å"free† reflections of a person’s fundamental nature, or are they social constructions based on bias and self-interest which have nothing to do with absolute truth? This question is crucialRead More Prospero and Caliban of William Shakespeares The Tempest Essay1036 Words   |  5 PagesProspero and Caliban of William Shakespeares The Tempest  Ã‚   Within The Tempest, characters such as Prospero and Caliban share an intimate connection. Without some kind of malevolent force motivating the action of the play, none of the major characters would come into contact with each other. A violent storm, formed by Prosperos magic, subjects the foreign characters to the might of his mysterious power. Issues of control become a central part of The Tempest. One way in which this is highlightedRead MoreEssay on Prospero in William Shakespeares The Tempest2266 Words   |  10 PagesProspero in William Shakespeares The Tempest In act 1 we learn that Prospero is a very complex character with many different aspects to his presentation. The first and probably the most obvious aspect to his character is that of the magician. Some critics argue that the 4 main characters on the Island can be said to represent different attributes to humanity: Caliban represents instinct, Miranda represents love, Ariel represents spirit and Prospero represents powerRead MoreInfluence Of Prospero In William Shakespeares The Tempest960 Words   |  4 PagesIn this play,†The Tempest†, by William Shakespeare, the main character, Prospero, experiences a deep and personal connection with his past that initially causes negative impacts on the people around him, but eventually has positive outcomes. Family connection is what makes his connection so personal. He was dethroned as the duke of Milan and betrayed by his own brothers, and also cast away to a remote island along with his daughter. A few of the characters touched by Prospero’s actions include FerdinandRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares The Tempest Act One, Scene One626 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Shakespeares The Tempest Act One, Scene One This scene introduces the play, and is set during on a ship during a ferocious storm. The passengers are the royal party of the King of Naples, and include the King Alonso, his brother Sebastian, the Prince Ferdinand, and the Kings counsellors, Gonzalo and Antonio. The storm, which begins the play, isnt real, but has been conjured by Prospero, a magus, to lure the passengers to his island. This storm is also representation