Interpretation Alternatives of Shakespeare's The Tempest Essay

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 Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero's magic is the means that Prospero teaches his lessons to the plays various characters. Whether or not those lessons were learned or not is irrelevant. The main issue is that Prospero's character is indeed a complex one, and one that deserves much attention. Two essays that look at the complexity of Prospero and his magic are Stephen Miko's "Tempest," and Barbara Mowat's "Prospero, Agrippa, and Hocus Pocus." Both of these essays, in dealing with Prospero and his magic reveal things about Prospero that only enhance the mystery of his character.

The second difference between the play and movie “The Tempest” is the time that it’s written and the time shown in the movie. The play takes place during Shakespeare’s time, the early 1600s. When Shakespeare was writing “The Tempest”, “people still believed that the sun went round the earth.” (Shakespeare 115-121) England was a Christian country and was educated by the Church’s education and, grammar schools taught Latin. The setting of “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

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.

Prospero, a powerful wizard like figure who uses his powers to punish and forgive his enemies. Caliban, a dark, earthy monster, who also serves as Prospero's servant. A whimsical sprite, Ariel, and a powerful witch named Sycorax. “The Tempest” is an entertaining play with many different mythical type creatures, that keeps you on the edge of your seat at every turn!

The poem, The Tempest was written by William Shakespeare which consists of romance. The poem is written in 1610-1611 in England and published in 1623. Its literacy period is the Renaissance (1500-1660). Julie Taymore’s film version of the play allowed the audiences see a visual of the play and how each actors portrayed the characters of the play. One notable difference between William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Julie Taymor’s film version of the play is the results of Prospero’s magic. This difference has the effect(s) of the highlights of Prospero’s magic of anger and forgiveness. This paper will demonstrate the representation of Prospero’s magic and what his magic can do has the effect of the anger and forgiveness of Prospero by analyzing the difference of Prospero’s magic in the play and Prospera’s magic in the film, but equally powerful.

"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. "

In Shakespeare’s The Tempest Prospero is a dynamic character who possesses great power stemming from both his books and his manipulation of other characters and events. This view of Prospero has changed over many years with the development of postcolonial theories. Before this development, Literary Critics such as Mowat, Gooder, and Belton argued that his magic is just that¬—a form of magic with no link to his power as a colonial leader. He is still seen as a manipulator, but not a leader of the people on the island.

Instead of completely copying Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, I did a creative spin on it in order to provide more insight into Prospero’s emotions. I felt I could accomplish this by creating an illustrated novel or adaption of Act 4 and 5 of The Tempest. By modifying some of the scenes in this play, I successfully illustrated a more accurate portrait of Prospero and was able to transcribe the process of the transformation he undergoes in this play.

Dale Carnegie once said “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” The ability to transform something appalling to alluring is a true indication of appreciation for life, but can at times result in consequences. In Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, Prospero commands one of his spirits, Ariel, to summon a tempest as an act of revenge for being deposed as the rightful Duke of Milan by Antonio and Alonso. Although the tempest causes isolation between characters, Ferdinand, Miranda and Ariel are blessed by the tempest; receiving opportunities achieve a better life.

Gonzalo states: "We are people of our own minds and no one else's," by this Gonzalo is telling everyone that no one can control what someone sees or does. This is true unless one is using magic to alter the minds and reality of anyone under the influence of magic. In the Tempest, by William Shakespeare, Prospero uses magic to alter the reality and delude the minds of characters. Love or guilt is a form of magic that naturally occurs in one's life. Prospero creates another magic that is placed in the audience's mind when he asks them to become the master magicians.

Although William Shakespeare’s The Tempest is often categorized as his late romance, its plots reflect the major social movement of that time—the Europeans settling in the New World. As the Europeans eagerly set out to find the New World, they left behind hopeful citizens pondering over what they would find. In The Tempest, through the characters, we can infer that the Europeans’ intentions ranged from creating the perfect government to interacting with the inhabitants. They discovered that their idea of the perfect government in which everyone is equal failed to exist. Nonetheless, they were correct in their anticipation that the New World would already be settled—by savage ‘Native Americans’. They eventually integrated the Native

Shakespeare is one of the most prolific and admired writers who ever lived. He certainly knew his craft and was familiar with all of the literature available at the time. One of the greatest books ever written was of course the bible. Written over the course of more than a thousand years it is a miracle in itself that the book exists. Shakespeare knew his bible, and his work often incorporated and examined biblical themes. Shakespeare's last completed work was The Tempest, and it is as complex and deeply moving as any of his works. Readers of the play respond on a much deeper level than the literal. In and of itself it is actually a very simple tale, it is the characters who are

      A Tempest, by Aime Cesaire, has been the center of controversy for over twenty years now.  The argument is not concerning whether the play has substance, or whether its themes are too racy; the criticism is about its parallel to another work.  The work in question is that of The Tempest by William Shakespeare.  Cesaire has been bluntly accused of mirroring, misrepresenting, and misinterpreting Shakespeare's last play.  I challenge these critics to research Cesaire and his works, rather than pick apart this most insightful play.  It is pertinent to understand a few key ideas when examining A Tempest because Cesaire was not attempting to mirror Shakespeare; he was merely