Chaos In The Tempest

The Tempest is about an ousted Duke of Milan ,Prospero, who has been living in exile on a remote island for the past twelve years with his daughter Miranda. He is a powerful magician, who happens to be the master of Ariel and Caliban, and a guy who really likes his books. When Prospero's enemies wash up on shore, he uses his black magic to seek revenge and restore himself to power. The Tempest belongs to the genre of Elizabethan romance plays. It combines elements of tragedy with those of romantic comedy, and like one of Shakespeare's plays previously, it asks deeper questions that are not completely resolved at the end. The tone that seeps into the play is one of wonder, amazement, and admiration. Mystery is still present , but the magic performed is not black and scary. The version that seems to grasp my attention more, would have to be the Utah Valley University interpretation because it takes Shakespeare’s main purpose and tone but shows it in its own unique way. Furthermore, with its silly drunkards, the play has a certain lightness to it and even the so called killers of the King tell hilarious jokes and are lighthearted. But there is also the tone of revenge and reconciliation in the play. We feel a revenge burning in Prospero while, at the same time, a wish for forgiveness and reconciliation with those who have wronged him.

 In Act I of the play, Prospero finally tells Miranda the woeful story of how she and he arrived on the island.  From the

Discoveries that are catalysed by unexpected an unprecedented human interaction, are often the most powerful and lead to immense personal growth. Thus understanding emerges through a range of dramatic forms and features within The Tempest, As the title suggests the work revolves around an extended metaphor, partly concerned with the forces of nature, evident from the very opening of the play as Prospero’s elaborate scheme to inflict vengeance on his usurpers in a manner much like the chaotic nature of a storm or “tempest.” As such, Prospero’s, lack of empathy and self-awareness is reflected

Humans have often struggled to define their relationship with nature throughout history. In the early periods of their existence, humans were ruled by the brutality of untamed nature. They utilized nature to an extent of survival, but had not yet developed a system to thrive within it. As humans advanced, both mentally and technologically, their aptitude and desire to exploit nature increased dramatically. These two polar relationships between humans and nature are mirrored in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Aimé Césaire’s A Tempest. In The Tempest, Shakespeare fixates on Caliban’s attachment to nature and Prospero’s exploitation of it, while in A Tempest, Césaire employs nature as the dividing force between Caliban and Prospero. These two separate themes both represent the consequences that occurred throughout history as a result of two ideologies about nature colliding during colonization.

The concept "knowledge is power" is reaffirmed through Prospero’s character. As long as he has his books he has knowledge and thus power. Prospero uses his knowledge to attain reason and consequently power. The play begins with his creation of a storm, giving him the ability to initiate and control problems. Using his knowledge as a catalyst for power David L. Hirst argues, “From the extension of reason, Prospero derives a power which he uses in an attempt to influence everyone on the island” (9). To Miranda, he is the strong protective father, who educates; to Caliban he represents the colonizer. Prospero describes Caliban as “a poisonous slave got by the devil himself” (1.2 323-324) who serves as his oppressed slave. To Ariel he represents the rescuer and constantly reminds her that it was he who freed him, yet he fails to grant the very liberty from which he saved. To the shipwrecked “he is a surrogate providence who corrects errant aristocrats and punishes plebeian revolt” (Brown 59). Recognizing themselves as subjects to Prospero validates Prospero’s position as governor.

Magical powers play a tremendous role in supporting Prospero’s ambitions. Once again, Prospero abuses his magical powers and imbalances the natural elements. The opening scene of Act I begins with a tempest. In this scene, Shakespeare demonstrates that abusing elements, such as water, only creates trouble. When Miranda first speaks to Prospero about the ship wreck, she says “If by your art…you have/Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them/The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,” (1.2.1-3). This creates

William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” speaks about multiple authoritative relationships throughout the play and the abuse of power and authority. The main character Prospero lives on a deserted island with his daughter Miranda. Prospero used to be the Duke of Milan until he has been usurped by his brother Antonio with the help Alonso the King of Naples and his brother Sebastian. Prospero and Miranda were banished to sea in a rotten boat and eventually lands in a deserted island who was once ruled by a witch named Sycorax but is now only inhabited by her son Caliban and a spirit named Ariel. Since arriving at the island, Prospero has been ruling the island and enslaved Caliban and Ariel by the use of magic. He acts as if he is God by creating a storm in order to shipwreck the King of Naples and Antonio. Prospero uses his powers to get revenge on his brother for having been exiled to the island. Prospero is a controlling character who seems to be obsessed with getting revenge in order to regain his status. He abuses his authority and takes advantage of his slaves and his daughter Miranda to fulfil his evil plan.

“The Tempest” is a Shakespearean play that takes play on a desert island somewhere between Tunis and Naples. A hazardous storm appears impacting a ship of European nobles and mariners; on board are Alonso, King of Naples, Gonzalo, Boatswain, Trinculo, Stefano, Antonio, Sebastian, and Ferdinand. The nobles are leaving Tunis, Africa after the wedding of Claribel, daughter of the King of Naples to the prince. Prospero, the former Duke of Milan uses his sorcery to conjure the very storm that bombards the nobles in order to bring them to the island. Frey interjects, “In 1808, Edmond Malone argued that Shakespeare derived the title and some of the play’s incidents from accounts of a storm and shipwreck experienced by Sir Thomas Gates and other Jamestown colonists on the Bermuda islands in 1609” (Frey 29).The play entails the romance of Ferdinand, Alonso’s son and Miranda, Prospero’s daughter; while also detailing a twelve year power struggle that is resurfacing itself in a treacherous plot for power. In comparison to the New World’s politics, “The Tempest” can be read as a play that deals with these same political issues: rebellion of constituted authorities, colonization of a new land, dehumanizing of the natives, marriages and romances of royalty, masters and servants, Christian virtues, and visions of a utopia.

The royal party’s boat is hit by a storm, which is all the doing of Prospero’s magic. He brings them to the island to confront them and perhaps redeem them. This play primarily focuses on the interaction between the characters, and what happens when each is put on trial and faces their own guilt and sin. But there are so many complex issues in this play, one of which is the relationship between Caliban the monster slave and Prospero the enlightened civilized man.

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 Prospero's 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 highlighted is through the relationship between Prospero and Caliban, his bestial servant. Their relationship does not utilize the conventional imagery of those who hold power versus those who do not. Rather, Caliban comes to symbolize a physical

The proud members of a wedding party on their way home to Naples are also terrified in the opening scene of The Tempest. During these first chaotic moments when the mariners tell their noble passengers to get back under deck so that they can keep at their work, we realize that things are out

     During the time of Shakespeare, society had a hierarchical structure. In Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, the characters of Prospero and Caliban, represent two different extremes on the social spectrum: the ruler, and the ruled. Their positions on the social hierarchy are largely due to the fact that Caliban responds almost wholly to passions, feelings of pleasure -- his senses, while Prospero is ruled more by his intellect and self-discipline -- his mind. However, the fight that Prospero has against his own natural tendency to ignore the discipline of his intellect, and give in to pleasures such as vanity and self-indulgence, cannot be ignored.

Experts have acclaimed that The Tempest did not receive a big amount of public attention and applause before the ban on the performance of plays in 1642 and retained its popularity after the Restoration. During 19th and 20th century, theater productions took great interest with the play and undertook a re-appraisal now saying that The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. The Tempest is the inspiration of 46 operas, plays, poems, and films. The story focuses with the exiled duke of Milan, Prospero, which was brought to an island on the Mediterranean border which he claimed to be the master. There he raised his daughter from childhood, Mirana, and encountered the fascinating creature Caliban and the spirit Ariel. Prospero made Ariel his right hand while Caliban became a slave who is the previous master of the island. Prospero made a Tempest which he said to come from the use of witchcraft or magic to manipulate certain things just like the storm that hit the ship of the King of Naples. We might have seen The Tempest as a supernatural literary piece but almost all of the characters on the play are just part of Prospero's political experiment. Prospero was once a philosopher in Milan but after he was overthrown, he started to realize the meaning of Machiavellian politics. Prospero is shown to act according to his own philosophy but is shown that it is not his main motivation for his actions. Prospero main motivation must be creating the best regime. It is in the story that parallels the Old Testament and the creation of Israel. As we can see, the royal group in the ship and the drunkards represents the flaws of human nature. Prospero noticed this flaws and corrects them through establishing some sort of modern Israel. Prospero's leadership is planned to be a nation where justice will be seen and

It is said that "A power struggle collapses when you withdraw your energy from it. Power struggles become uninteresting to you when you change your intention of winning to learning about yourself" (Gary Zukav). A comedic play written by William Shakespeare demonstrates the theme struggle for power that develops throughout the story of The Tempest. The Tempest is defined as an outrageous storm in which Shakespeare uses to enhance the play. This story is about a person named Prospero and his daughter who are stuck on an island due to Prospero's brother, Antonio. Antonio took over Prospero's dukedom of Milan after "kicking them out" (Act 5) and trying to end their lives. With the help of good, Lord Gonzalo, they survive. Now, marooned on an island with a malevolent servant [Caliban] and a spirit helper [Ariel], Prospero continues the practice of magic which will 12 years later come to haunt his fellow enemies whom receives a gift of Prospero's power in the end. The "outrageous storm" (Act 1) is just the beginning of a struggle for power. In The Tempest, Shakespeare uses conflicts to develop the theme struggle for power.

William Shakespeare is perhaps the greatest literary writer of all time. His works are still being studied, read and performed today. Dramatist Ben Johnson was correct in stating that Shakespeare “was not of an age but for all time.” Shakespeare’s The Tempest demonstrates the timelessness of human nature and that the lessons portrayed in his play appeal to the reader, no matter the timeframe. These lessons are revealed through the themes of freedom, forgiveness and power. All individuals desire freedom.