Importance of Language in Shakespeare's The Tempest Essay

It is often said, by critics and literature scholars alike, that The Tempest was Shakespeare’s “farewell to theatre”. However, his proposed ode to the arts has many levels of simplicity (which can be confused with complexity but is ultimately different), and therefore a more in-depth analysis than usually offered can conclude Shakespeare used the play as instructions for the audience as well as to reflect on his own life. Shakespeare challenged his audience to accept, or perhaps even disagreed with, his own perception of freedom, which was that freedom could only be sought by those who made theselves vulnerable. The playwright demonstrated this vulnerability through the contrasting characters of Caliban and Ariel, the self-usurpation of Prospero,

   In Othello, Shakespeare explores the relationship between words and events. Spoken thought, in the play, has all the power of action; speaking about an event will make that event become reality for those who hear - it will affect reality as if that event had taken place. Shakespeare demonstrates the power of words poignantly through Othello's monologues. Othello struggles with the reality that Iago creates for him. When Othello speaks, he reveals that he is unable to stop himself from carrying out acts that Iago's and his own words have prophesied and initiated. Othello's monologues further demonstrate that even the knowledge of the power of words cannot protect the characters from the

“The Tempest” is a play written by William Shakespeare in early 1600s that has been previewed in different kinds of movies, such as the one made in 2010, directed by Julie Taymor. It is a play containing themes such as; revenge, allusion, retribution, forgiveness, power, love and hatred. When it is compared to the play, there are specific differences seen in the movie, such as; Prospero is reflected as a woman in the movie. The time differences between the play and the movie and how the spirit Ariel is shown as a white man in the movie. The play starts with the story of Prospero, the Duke of Milan. He gets banished from Italy and was cast to sea by his brother Antonio. He has

To make such a production work, it seems to me that a large degree of spectacle and illusion are in order, but falling short of any sort of attempt at realism. Keeping a sense of wonder at the spectacle and the unlikely action taking place through the play could keep the audience thoroughly absorbed and yet still aware of the demonstration of the ideals being conveyed. When I consider this as a possibility, I think of a movie I saw recently called American Beauty. In this film, most of the characters start out highly stylized and almost stereotypical. As the film progresses, these stereotypes begin to break down. The action becomes more and more absurd and at times, to me, almost surreal. In this film, comedy is used to keep the audience entertained and involved with the story. But throughout, they remain aware that there are deeper issues at work. Only near the end did I truly realize that I was witnessing what was essentially a stylized parable. This realization near the end caused a desire in me to better demonstrate the ideals at issue in the film within my own life. I think that The Tempest is equally capable of delivering this sort of meaningful, enjoyable experience and tell it's story on a number of different levels.

Among Shakespeare’s many works, Hamlet and The Tempest both have unique qualities to them. Hamlet is considered by many to be the bard’s magnum opus, his finest work. The Tempest meanwhile is known as his last work. Interestingly, they also both have similar themes, primarily revenge and fate. However in this regard they are opposite- Hamlet fails utterly, while Prospero is met with outstanding success. It is this juxtaposition that lead me to believe that The Tempest was meant to be a foil for Hamlet- Shakespeare’s last work serving as a foil for his greatest.

Due to these debates, it’s possible that Shakespeare has contemplated on the different views on colonization and decided not only to create the setting of the play on an island, but uses the storm in the first act as way to create excitement and danger and also to reference to the perils of the struggle of exploration. Also the title of the play is The Tempest which also hints how powerful the storms of the ocean are, that it can determine the fate of many people as seen in the play; and is relatable to real life events such as the one described earlier. The Tempest also reflect the concerns of the times such as the exploration of foreign lands and struggles for power and the colonization of lands as seen in the role of the characters in the play.

Zhenni Zhu Professor Stieber HSS 1 23 December 2014 Virgilian Motifs in Shakespeare’s The Tempest Shakespeare’s comedy, The Tempest, introduces a love story between Miranda, the daughter of the former duke of Milan, and Ferdinand, the son of the king of Naples. While Miranda and Ferdinand’s love story resembles the pattern of Dido and Aeneas’s love story in Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid, Shakespeare’s modification of the old material in the new context alters the tragedy into a happily-ever-after, giving the readers an opportunity to reassess the characters through the new context.

"The Tempest can be considered a comedy as it appears at the top of the list of Comedies in the First Folio; the action takes place in a remote location; nothing seriously bad happens in the play; the action concludes when old wrongs are righted, lovers are united and we all leave the theatre happy with life. "

The role of language in Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” is quite significant. To Miranda and Prospero the use of language is a means to knowing oneself. Caliban does not view language in the same light. Prospero taught Caliban to speak, but instead of creating the feeling of empowerment from language, Caliban reacts in insurrectionary manner. Language reminds him how different he is from Miranda and Prospero, and also how they have changed him. It also reminds him of how he was when he wasn’t a slave. He resents Prospero for “Civilising” him, because in doing so he took away his freedom.

have been used invidious media since our earlier times. They have been used to instill fear in us,

The similarities and differences between Aime' Cesaire's ATempest and William Shakespeare's The Tempest gives the reader an idea that it is a political response. From the way that both of the titles of these works of literature differ, an idea of concept is offered. They share a similar story line yet, after some one has read A Tempest : a different perspective is gained. A Tempest is actually considered a post colonial period piece of writing and one can acquire and prove this by the forms in which Aime' Cesaire portrays the characters and switches around their personalities and their traits,the time periods and the acquisition of language, and the ways power is used reveals that it is indeed a political response from a post

control of her as well. He can control her every move and put her to

   In discussing Derrida's view of Western literature, Geoffrey Hartman writes that "Western tradition has been marked . . . by a metaphysics of light, by the violence of light itself, from Apollonian cults to Cartesian philosophies. In the light of this emphatic light everything else appears obscure; especially the Hebraic development of aniconic writing and self-effacing commentary of textuality" (xix). This point is well illustrated by the nature of Prospero's power in The Tempest for his control of natural and supernatural forces is achieved through book-learning the bringing to life of Logos. That which Prospero does not control completely is the vilified character of Caliban. The

From the beginning of the play we are told of how and why Prospero is

William Shakespeare, widely regarded as the world’s greatest playwright, has revolutionized the world of English literature with his plays. Some of these plays are clear-cut comedies and tragedies, while others are more ambiguous. The Merchant of Venice is a play that falls under the latter type, and it has been hotly contested whether this literary work should be classified a comedy or a tragedy. However, since the majority of the characters received a happy ending, the abundance of comic relief scenes and characters, and lightheartedness of the plot relative to other Shakespearean works leads me to conclude that The Merchant of Venice is indeed a comedy.