Essay on the Setting in Shakespeare's 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.

The Tempest was Shakespeare’s last play that was written shortly after England colonized Virginia in 1609. Throughout the play, there are many different references to imperialism and colonialism within the characters. The Tempest analyzes the imperialistic relationships between England and America but applies it to personal human interaction between the central characters. The island gives newcomers a sense of endless possibilities like claiming the land for themselves because of the belief in the Great Chain of Being and the seventeenth century being an age of exploration. The idea of ruling a colony lured many people into the idea that having that kind of power over a large group of people is attainable. Master-servant relationships are

The Tempest places forward the rhythms of the dynamic Nature in the context of ever changing society and the inconsistent human mind, but also how they reflect both elevated and distorted symbolic association of humans and Nature: allusions to “pinch-spotted…. Than pard or cat o’ mountain”, “welkin’s cheek”, “rotten carcass of a butt”, “Jove’s lightnings”, “King’s son, Ferdinand/ With hair up-staring then like reeds, not hair, -”, “veins o’th’earth” and “bak’d with frost”. Caliban’s lethargy is associated with the movement of a tortoise. Charms and omens of Sycorax are associated with hateful creatures as “toads”, “beetles” and “bat”. In the lines “Temperance was a delicate wench”, weather and climatic condition of the island is

The play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare is a very cleverly thought out piece of work. Shakespeare very deliberately inter-relates several different forms of power during the course of the play. There is political power, shown through the plethora of political characters and their schemes, while at the same time parodied by the comic characters. The power of magic and love, and its ability to reunite and absolve also plays a major role in the play. Throughout the play, Prospero, the main character, takes great advantage of his power and authority, both properly and improperly. The epiphany of this however, is realized at the end of the play.

   A production of The Tempest should emphasize the idealized methods in which Prospero uses magic to solve the problem of revenge which is so prevalent throughout his tragedies, perhaps the production might be a direct allegory for the magic of the theatre itself.   In this conception of the play, the scattering and bringing together of the characters in the script is significant in that theatre also could be said to bring people together and allow them to share in an experience of emotion, magic, and finally, of resolution. In this way the production could be used as a vehicle for conveying the idealistic virtues of forgiveness, compassion, and of course knowledge. In his book, A

The island of magic and mystery that Shakespeare creates in The Tempest is an extraordinary symbol of both the political and social realities of his contemporary society, and of the potential for a reformed New World. Shakespeare’s island is a creation which allows the juxtaposition of real and idealised worlds, and shows his audience both what they and what they ought to be. The seventeenth century was a time of ideological upheaval in Europe, with Medieval ideas of a hierarchical and ordered society being challenged by Renaissance thinkers. For the dynastic powers, including England under Elizabeth I, colonialism was an important opportunity to realise territorial ambition and prove religious

The Tempest, often regarded as Shakespeare’s last play, displaces the theme of possession of control and command over other, commonly known as power. Ariel, Caliban and the courtiers from Milan, all demonstrate different levels of control. Prospero, the protagonist of the play, especially displays his ability to cast influence and affect others psychologically. The characters, their relationships and their use of power can be compared to the English government and society of the 17th Century.

     Through the years there has been much debate as to whether Shakespeare’s The Tempest is an Allegory to European colonization and colonial life, or if it is his “farewell to the stage” with a complete overview of the stage and a compilation of all of his characters into a few, in which the playwright himself being presented as Prospero. Is The Tempest an allegory to European colonization, or is it Shakespeare, presenting his formal farewell to the stage?

In “The Tempest”, “Translations” and “Things Fall Apart”, the theme of patriarchy is explored in different settings; the colonisation of the Irish in “Translations”, an unnamed island in “The Tempest” and the Igbo tribe in “Things Fall Apart”.

Essential to the discussion of this aspect of The Tempest is the definition of a "Utopia". For different characters this "utopia" means different things. First of

Many people argue that among the many literary works composed by William Shakespeare the tempest treats issues that revolve around reconciliation, forgiveness, and faith in the future generation. Making use of character Prospero, the Author was able to develop the major themes of the play that in broader context overthrow the Great chain of being and adopt a modern sensibility. To be in a position of exposing how Shakespeare addresses the mentioned theme, a consideration of a thesis statement that attitudes and actions of the main characters in play define the implication a play has on society. To facilitate an extrapolation of the thesis in consideration, I will first explain what is meant by the modern sensibility. In connection with artistic or social activities, modern sensibility refers to an understanding or the ability to decide what is useful and valuable. In a social setting application, modern sensibility is a way of understanding things to the social ideals of an earlier age.

    A Tempest by Aime Cesaire is an attempt to confront and rewrite the idea of colonialism as presented in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  He is successful at this attempt by changing the point of view of the story.  Cesaire transforms the characters and transposes the scenes to reveal Shakespeare’s Prospero as the exploitative European power and Caliban and Ariel as the exploited natives.  Cesaire’s A Tempest is an effective response to Shakespeare’s The Tempest because he interprets it from the perspective of the colonized and raises a conflict with Shakespeare as an icon of the literary canon.

Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ had started off with a catastrophic storm in the sea when Antonio, Alonso and Gonzalo were on a ship. This storm was controlled the play’s protagonist, Prospero who stopped this storm when Miranda, her daughter, expressed her concern.

As described in the Arden edition of The Tempest, despite its “beautiful visual wonders, not so much happens”(Vaughan 2) in this relatively short Shakespearean play. However, it had become a symbol of the English Explorations -- during Shakespeare’s life-time -- a period of geological, governmental, and artistic discoveries. In this regard, the story of Sea Venture through the Bermuda islands, is very often told, since it is the inspiration of The Tempest. The story and the play are very closely related that a significant part of the story made it into the writing of the play. The story becomes a candid example of England during the Age of Explorations -- the people wondering about life in their colonies, the sailors bringing back the shocking

In act one, the author shows the clear idea of power. In the following quote the boatswain compares the power of the tempest to the power of Alonso. “When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarers for the name of the king? To cabin! Silence! Trouble us not.”(1,1.16-18). Essentially this quote just shows how much the crew thinks of the king at this point. They think his power and his quest, can overtake the tempest. This quote relates to the theme because it shows the power of Alonso. The power of Alonso is an important element to this story because it's a title of power given from another place that's not the island. Although his crew respects that for a while, until we see a change in power. It’s ironic