The Tempest; William Shakespeare
Laura L
Places and the concept of discovery:
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Events and the concept of discovery:
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People and the Concept of Discovery:
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Relationships and the concept of discovery:
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Ideas and the concept of discovery:
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Idea 1) The Play is about Prospero’s Journey from Revenge to Forgiveness
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Idea 2) The Play is a W ork of ‘post-colonial’ Drama
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Idea 3) The Play is about Shakespeare’s role as a Dram atist and farewell to the stage
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Societies and the concept of discovery:
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Language and the concept of discovery: discover y:
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The Epilogue:
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare
Laura L
Places and the concept of discovery: •
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Addresses the link between notions of place and the broader concept of discovery The opening lines of the play expresses fear that the Tempest will “run ourselves “run ourselves aground (act 1 scene 1) and lead to disaster It is the exile of these characters from their homelands and imprisonment in a foreign place which creates the stage stage for the play’s the play’s continuous continuous and revelatory process of discovery
Prospero’s plan for the role of discovery •
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Island is a place where the sudden and alarming discoveries of the shipwrecked characters are expressed either in terms of despair or wonder Ferdinand is led through the island by the invisible Ariel. He asks rhetorically, “Where should this music be? I th’ th ’ air or th’ earth?” His discovery is Grim; Ariel informs him “Full fathom “Full fathom five thy fathers lies” The lies” The alliteration of the fricative consonants (repetition of the f sound) creates poetic rhythm that mirrors the sinking depth of his fathers body. King Alonso is similarly led to believe the flashed that Ferdinand is dead, “What strange fish hath made his meal on thee?” The thee?” The metaphor of strange fish alludes to the biblical tale of Jonah who who was thrown overboard overboard and swallowed swallowed by a whale during a tempest.
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Shakespeare draws upon biblical symbolism to indicate the power of Prospero to create a place for his enemies upon where they will discover aspects of their sinful natures on a grand and epic scale
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The island is a stage upon which Prospero will engineer the transformation of his enemies He both teaches and learns lessons in earthy magic, divine power and human forgiveness
The Island and Discovery •
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The island is the central setting of the play and important to the concept of discovery for the very reason that it is a symbol for territorial discovery discovery itself, and a land whose ownership is in heated dispute “This island’s mine island’s mine by Sycorax my mother / Which thou takes from me” Calibans me” Calibans language to Prospero is direct and accusatory, continuing a broader theme in the play linking discovery to theft
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The audience learns Prospero’s backstory Prospero’s backstory to Miranda that the island was chanced upon following their joint exile from Milan, where “th’ winds, “th’ winds, whose pity sighing back again / Did us but loving wrong” Prospero’s use Prospero’s use of oxymoron in his description of the elements (loving wrong) expresses the paradoxical elements of pain, confusion and relief in the discovery of the island.
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The audience learns that Sycorax has previously endured the island in her own forced exile from Algier, and Caliban now claims ownership over the isle via his mother
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare •
Laura L
King Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian, Adrian, Ferdinand, Stephano, Trinculo and Gonzalo have separately ‘discovered’ the island and plan how they intend rule it
Place and language techniques •
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Shakespeare’s use of language techniques in reference to discovery and place in notable in the parallel plots of Antonio and Sebastian, and Trunculo and Stephano, four usurpers of land and title The dry and caustic wit of the aristocratic Antonio and Sebastian is underscored by the use of pun, irony, personification and stichomythia (contradictory retorts) Adrian: “The air breathes here most sweetly” Sebastian: “As if it had lungs, and rotten ones” The drunken language of Stephano and Trinculo is similarly witty and caustic in their mocking of Caliban, but verges on the absurd after Caliban convinces them to usurp kingship of the isle
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The two men are deluded in their desire to seize the throne, as seen when Stephano declares, “Trinculo, the king and all our company else being drowned / we will inherit here” Shakespeare seems to mock the European notion of ‘discovery’ and ownership of a foreign land, especially in relation to disputed lands chanced upon and seized as a result of accidental conquest (colonisation) — > A ‘post-colonial’ view on the play
The Island as a theatrical place •
Shakespeare employs the island as a type of symbolic, or meta-theatrical device to represent his own control of the stage
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As a playwright, Shakespeare manipulated the events of the stage in a n analogous manner to Prospero ‘playing’ with the moods and events of the people on the isle
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“All the world is a stage” As you like it ; maybe alluding to the colonisation of Britain
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(as James I named it) and the newly ‘discovered’ Americas The play expresses the clear notion that it is ultimately not important who rightfully lays claim to the discovery and sovereignty of a contested territory, but rather how we individually take the opportunity for personal discovery and growth upon out arrival in a strange, new land.
Place and Symbolism •
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In symbolic terms, the island’s purpose is to act as a sort of stage for discovery: responders witness the intellectual, emotional and spiritual discoveries of all the main characters. The audience remembers how each character is somehow displaced from their original homeland and are alternately stranded, each discovering different things Prospero’s design allows each of the main characters to discover something about themselves in a time and place that has been created to lead to redemption As a place of discovery, the island is a location which every characters ultimately unwilling to enter and all eventually choose to leave, except native Caliban.
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare •
Laura L
Thematically the island is a place of punishment, exile, imprisonment and introspection. Paradoxically, it is also a place of freedom, wonder and spiritual discovery for those willing to embrace the lessons of their exile Events and the concept of discovery:
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It is vital to consider the representation of events with regards to their accompanying language techniques The particular discovery of a given character might be emotional, creative, intellectual or spiritual
Act 1)
- The shipwreck itself •
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The ‘drowning’ of the mariners and the exile of the wandering crew upon the isle after the tempest. One of the many symbols of the s ea storm is that of Prospero’s anger; the elements are conjured to send down his wrath.
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The metaphor of birth is used in this event, and idea explored thought the chapter “You mar our labour” “If he be not born to be hanged our case is miserable’ “We split, we split, we split!” The imagery pf pregnancy and delivery foreshadows the understanding that Prospero’s enemies will experience the birth of emotional and spiritual discoveries
- Miranda’s Journey •
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Prospero places Miranda on a journey of discovery about the fate of the crew, and audiences glimpse her compassion “O I have suffered with those that I saw suffer!” (repetition of suffer) Prospero recounts their perilous voyage to the island, revealing events that he had kept concealed from Miranda
- Prospero’s Intentions •
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Ariel reports the sinking of the ship in the tempest to Prospero. Prospero’s concerns over the safety of the c rew, to which Ariel responds, “Not a hair perished.” The biblical allusion to Christ (Not a hair on your head shall perish; Luke 21) Effectively foreshadows that Prospero’s intentions are grand, epic and ultimately benevolent (The journey from revenge to forgiveness)
- Ferdinand’s Discovery •
Approached by Ariel and discovers that his father has drowned, a troubling yet false discovery
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“Full fathom five thy father lies / of his bones are coral made / those pearls were his eyes” The alliteration of the fricative consonants (repetition of the f sound) creates poetic rhythm that mirrors the sinking depth of his fathers body. The song softens the emotional discovery of death, and signifies the beginning of a structural motif; song
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare
Laura L
Ariel’s songs are employed to variously comfort, tease, frighten and warn the shipwrecks
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- Ferdinand and Miranda Miranda discovers Ferdinand, the first young male she has ever seen and declares him a
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“thing divine” to which Prospero responds, “No wench, it eats, sleeps, and hath such senses as we have.” The language reverts to monosyllables and effectively breaks the rhythmic iambic pentameter with a prose like rebuke of harsh, basic words.
- Discoveries of Love Prospero charms Ferdinand, and subsequently imprisons him The purpose of these actions is to create an emotional discovery of love between his daughter and Ferdinand
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Act 2)
- The Sea •
Gonzalo attempts to console Alonso, “sir, be merry; you have cause,So have we all, of joy; for our escape Is much beyond our loss.” Yet Alonso’s merely responds with the repetition of “Prithee, peace”
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Gonzalo also attempts to lighten the mood, “our garments seem now as fresh as when we were at Tunis at the marriage of your daughter” to lighten the mood in the events of his sons death, which audiences know is false. The words fail thought, and Alonso responds, “you cram these words into mine ears, against the stomach of my senses” The metaphor clearly conveying Alonso’s grief
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The imagery begins a set of nautical metaphors in the play, notably with Alonso’s lament for his (not) dead son “What strange fish as made his meal of thee?” Later, shakespear positions the sea as a type of digestive tract (Personification) in Antonio’s declaration “We were all sea-swallowed”, and Ariels explanation to Alonso, “The never-surfeited sea hath caused to belch you up” The effect of this extended metaphor is to position Prospero as the Hebrew God and the Sea as the whale. It a lludes to the idea that Prospero’s enemies have been stranded by destiny until they repent for their crimes
- A New Age •
Gonzalo attempts to have the lord imagine they have discovered a new golden age, a commonwealth without riches, poverty, greed or hunger, and fails “In the commonwealth I would by contraries / execute all things” — > Irony of the utopian declaration, and verbal pun of execute, who literally plot the execution of Prospero
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Alludes to the psychological dominance felt by all colonials who inhabit a foreign land
- Temptation •
Antonio tempts Sebastian to discover his own buried desire to be king while Alonso sleeps “My imagination sees a crown / dropping upon thy head”, Persuading him to join in the killing of Alonso and Gonzalo
- Alonso’s Journey Page 5 of 20
The Tempest; William Shakespeare •
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having awoken to the drawn sounds of Sebastian and Antonio as they prepare to kill him, Alonso leads the party on a journey of discovery to retrieve ‘my poor son’
- Opportunities •
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Stephano and Trinculo discvoer Caliban, a ‘most poor, credulous monster’ Stephano imagines they had discovered a four legged beast and speculates that he will make a profit by taking the monster back to Naples “He’s a present for any emperor that ever trod on neat’s leather”
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Discovery is presented in this context as an opportunistic money-making venture for the wicked colonial exploiting the native “strange fish” The stage directions for Trinculo to his under the cloak of Caliban addsa a further layer of irony and humour; the ‘beast’ itself is not Caliban (the native) but rather exploitative nature of the invaders themselves, horribly entangled in a confusion of greed , theft and murder
- A Physical Journey •
Caliban leads Stephano and Trinculo on a physical journey to discover ‘every fertile inch on the island’ and partake of the isle’s crabs, pignuts, seabirds, and ‘clust’ring filberts’
Act 3)
- Ferdinand’s Journey •
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Prospero places Ferdinand on a journey of physical discovery while carrying logs. Miranda’s insistence that he cease is an element of Prospero’s design; her witnessing his discomfort builds empathy for Ferdinand’s experience and a growing desire for marital companionship. “If you sit down i’ll bear your logs the while”
- Miranda’s Discovery •
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Miranda relates her discoveries of other men to Ferdinand, unsuccessfully trying to ‘imagine a shape besides yourself, to like of” This is a biblical allusion to Adam and Eve and is instructive, for those who perceive discovery as a thing of wonder; the isle is a veritable Eden and fecund paradise with Prospero at its centre, a god-like figure wandering through the garden and eavesdropping on his creatures
- Ariel’s Accusations •
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Ariel enters invisible and sounds hostile accusations; “thou list” to inspire Stephano to strike Trinculo Caliban places Stephano on a journey of imagination and discovery that he will be lord of the island if they can ‘brain’ the sleeping man ‘having first seized his books” Later in the stage directions, ‘ Ariel plays the tune on a tabor and pipe’ a physical discovery causing Trinculo to speculate the devil is upon them and, furthurmore, the mock- repentant exclamation of ‘O, forgive me my sins!’
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Caliban consoles Stephano and Trinculo in turn, “be not afeared, the isle is full of noises”
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare •
Laura L
Alonso promptly declares of his missing son “He is drowned”; A vital element of Prospero’s intention is that Alonso’s assumption and ‘discovery’ will lead to empathy and understanding for what he has perpetuated upon the exiled duke of Milan (revenge — > forgiveness interpretation)
- Intellectual Discovery •
sweet music fills the air and ‘ several strange shapes’ bring in a banquet before the weary lords, prompting Sebastian’s acceptance of the supernatural phenomena such as unicorns and the phoenix
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Gonzalo is prompted to recall the skepticism of his youth about the existence of ‘mountaineers dewlap like bulls”, a discovery of the intellect which challenges the characters and responders rational assumptions
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The banquet inspired Gonzalo to speculate whether the people of Naples would believe their account of the islanders “Who though they are of monstrous shape, yet note / Their manners are more gentle, kind, than of / Our human generation you shall find” Discovery is presented in this context as a process of identification with broader society or, in post-colonial theory, the ‘other’; the untouchable native strangers who populate the colonial’s acquired territory
- Self-Discovery •
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Ariel enters as a harpy, removes the viands, (foods) and a nnounces that Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian are ‘three men of sin’ This prompts Alonso to experience and overwhelming guilt for his actions against Prospero and believe this is the reason for his sons demise. “The name of Prosper; it did bass my trespass”
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Prospero has fulfilled a vital element of his grand design ; creating understanding within the king via discovery for the wickedness of his actions twelve years prior
Act 4)
- Ferdinand’s discoveries •
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Prospero informs Ferdinand that he has won his endurance trials and is permitted to marry Miranda. Ferdinand’s range of physical, emotional and spiritual discoveries has formed the greater part of Prospero’s plan for the elevation of his daughter to the throne
- Discoveries of a Crime •
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The masque begins but is interrupted by the plot against Prospero’s life in the shape of Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo Prospero ends the masque in anger, rediscovering the plot against his life that he previously ignored within his false sense of reality due to his magic
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He informs Ferdinand, “We are such stuff dreams are made on”, placing Ferdinand and the audience on an intellectual journey of discovery concerning the ontology (nature of being) of human beings Prospero employs theatrical metaphors (‘actors’ ‘baseless fabric of this vision’ ‘the great globe itself’ ) to emphasise that way that the stage offers its a udience manifold intellectual and spiritual epiphanies in the course of a play
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare
Laura L
- Ariels Lead •
Ariel describes how he led Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban through thickets by means of a tabor to find a ‘mantled pool’ and left them the stink up to their chins (This prompts Ariels sympathy towards the, which he details to Prospero; the human taught human emotions by the non human
- The Jester and the Butler •
Caliban urges Stephano and Trinculo to murder Prospero, but the butler and jester are distracted by their discovery of ‘ glistening apparel ’ and they squabble over the gowns (playing kings)
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Trinculo’s language is full of mock exclamations “O Kings Stephano, O worthy peer O worthy Stephano!” This drunken worship of the jester is a feature of dramatic irony and humour: the audience recognises that this murderous plot is doomed to fail and mirrors the failed plot of Antonio and Sebastian
- A Physical Discovery •
Prospero and Ariel set spirits in shape of dogs and hounds upon Stephano, Trinculo and Calibam, a distinctly sensory or physical discovery for the insurgents Prospero’s language in this scene displays his bitter, vengeful and malevolent
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temperament when faced with a conspiracy: “Fury, Fury! There, Tyrant, there! Hark, Hark!” The dog’s names aptly symbolise his inner ferocity for the would be murderers
Act 5)
- Prospero’s Choice •
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Prospero informs Ariel that he will soon forgive his enemies and afterwards declares to the spirits that “I will drown my book” Prospero’s overly measured iambic pentameter achieves a near-staccato rhythm which conveys his anger at the assumptions of Ariel. His speech is broken into multiple enjambments and caesuras to symbolise the overwhelming nature of thoughts flooding into his mind - the fierce divisions within his thinking about whether or not to forgive his enemies - and provides a perfect mirror of the mercurial, neurotic magician who had previously lost concentration at the masque to focus on revenging the foul plot upon his life
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“Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling / Of their afflictions, and shall not myself, one of their kind, that relish all as sharply passion as they, be kindlier moved than thou art?”
- Coming Full Circle •
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Prospero draws a magic circle around his enemies who, to their a stonishment, discover the former Duke of Milan standing in their midsts The stage direction Prospero traces out a circle on the stage strongly conveys the high symbolism of the moment: the ‘revolution’ against the Duke of Milan has come in a full circle
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Prospero has entrapped his enemies in a circular isle analogous to his own island prison
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare
Laura L
- Discovery and Rediscovery •
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Prospero forgives his enemies and discovers that Antonio is not penitent (showing remorse) Alonso rediscovers Ferdinand and sees him playing chess with Miranda The stage direction is a further element of symbolism and irony: it is Prospero who has ‘played chess’ with his enemies and brought them to within one square of their figurative checkmate, remembering his grand design is to advance the ‘pawn’ Miranda to the queen of Naples.
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Miranda discovers the king and courtiers and stands amazed, for she has never seen as many people (her ‘discovery’ of people however is mainly regal) “How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is!”
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Miranda’s awe is almost too plainly ironic in that she actually beholds her fathers enemies, yet, her heartfelt, ecstatic declaration contrasts the hollowness of Trinculo’s earlier drunken worship of Stephano
- The Epilogue •
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Prospero sets Ariel free and asks the audience to ‘release me from my bands with the help of your good hands’ His words are ambiguous; Prospero genuinely may be set free from the isle a t the plays end or else left stranded to dwell on the bare island The epilogue might form a plea for forgiveness to the courtiers who have already exited and thereby left him with Caliban People and the Concept of Discovery:
- Prospero •
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His grand Design is to initiate others into a range of physical, emotional, creative, intellectual, and spiritual discoveries He is capable of discovery as seen in the discovery of a buried and forgotten desire in act 5, to forgive those who have wronged him, even Antonio despite his refusal to demonstrate repentance
- Miranda •
She falls deeply in love with Ferdinand, whom she sees wandering through the isle and later when imprisioned by Prospero; a set of discoveries alternately emotional, physical, creative intellectual and spiritual
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Her own journey begins in act 1, in which she discovers the shipwreck and the plight of her father and their exile to the island She ultimately discovers love, a husband, and humanity
- Ferdinand •
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Imprisonment on the isle — > prevents him from repeating his fathers mistakes of greed, conspiracy and persecution Ferdinand is brought to humility and grace through his discoveries of his father alive and marriage with Miranda
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare
His first emotional discovery is patently false, his father, King Alonso did not drown and die
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The concept of discovery relevant to Ferdinand is that the sudden and alarming discoveries of the emotions and intellect are vital in order to experience empathy and personal growth “There be some sports are painful, and their labour Delight in them sets them off” Prospero invents a courtship which teaches Ferdinand and Miranda that marital love is
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built on patience, temperance, fidelity “They are both in each others powers, but this swift business / I must uneasy make, less too light winning ? Make the prize light” Prospero: “So glad of this as they I cannot be / Who a re surprised with all; but my rejoicing / At nothing can be more. I’ll to my book”
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Ferdinand imagines, via Prospero’s organised discovery, that his father had been lost to
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the sea, unleashing a sensory grief and s peculative frame of mind which tests himself Ferdinand is humbled and made empathetic through his loss and the work he had to endure as a log bearer
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Ferdinand ‘discovers’ what Prospero hid; his father and the crew remained alive
- Alonso Discovers an overwhelming sense of guilt for Prospero’s life in exile, and the heartbreaking belief that his son perished in the wreck
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Alonso eventually rediscovered his son, and his repentance for his past crimes against Prospero
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The kings various physical, emotional and intellectual discoveries form the basis of the
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plays central plot Alonso represents the way that painful emotional discoveries entered on grief and sledrecognition may ultimately provide spiritual benefit and redemption for their sufferer: “But O, how oddly will it sound, that I / Must ask my child forgiveness!”
- Caliban •
Sycorax’s son of the isle experiences a set of discoveries variously physical and emotional, some of which could represent the way european ‘discovery’ of the land robbed natives of their identity, dignity and territorial rights
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Ironically, Calibam shares Prospero’s loss of land “This island’s mine by Sycorax my mother” Caliban, furthermore, initiates the physical discovery of the island for Stephano and trinculo in the plays second subplot Caliban’s use of language is alternately sullen , accusatory and serene “be not afeared the isle is full of noises” — > use of language he earlier rejected
- Stephano and Trinculo •
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They comically ‘discover’ the island by mean of their host, Caliban The pair are represented as murderous opportunists and experience unsettling and painful discoveries in their drunken greed to seize the island The pair represent the contemporary savagery and opportunism of Europeans in their exploitation of subjugated foreigners, especially as they plan to exhibit the ‘strange fish’ for a ‘piece of silver’
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare
Laura L
- Gonzalo The lord’s reaction to the island prompts speculation about the utopian possibilities of the isle and his open minded to the challenge of his predicament and therefore
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represents the rubric statement discoveries open us up to new words and discoveries
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can be fresh and intensely meaningful in ways that may be emotional, creative, intellectual, physical and spiritual
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Gonzalo is innocent of criminal intent and aided Prospero in his exile His knowledge of the evil of the court is bridged with speculation of the possibilities of
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the isle His speech of a commonwealth without services, contracts, agriculture, occupations His speculations are ironic as he would be king even though he said no kings
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The various language devices of his ‘commonwealth’ speech; listing, inverted syntax and the repetition of ‘no’ ‘none’ ‘not’ captures the nature of his epiphany after being stranded, yet the unreality of his statement
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- Ariel Prospero’s spirit enacts the discoveries of the other characters at his master’s request.
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He is an agent for discovery and driven by the memory of his own discovery by Prospero which released him from his imprisonment “Hast thou forgotten / the foul witch sycorax, who with age and envy / was grown into a hoop? Hast thou forgot her”
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Ariel furthermore assists his master in the recognition of a far-reaching and transformative discovery for the individual and his broader society: the willingness of Prospero to forgive his enemies
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- Antonio •
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Prospero’s usurping brother represents the way that intense, sudden and unexpected physical discoveries do not always effect change upon one’s character He plots the murder of Gonzalo and Alonso Antonio is unaffected by his sensory experiences and furthermore seeks to exploit his exile in convincing sebastian to murder Alsonso. The transformative effects of discovery create the desired measure of humility,empathy and understanding within the king, while on the contrary for Antonio who is not changed by his experiences Relationships and the concept of discovery:
- Prospero •
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The discoveries of the major characters are ‘paired’ to Prospero’s growing discoveries about himself and to our own recognition that he shares some characteristics with those whom he classifies as his enemeis Prospero’s discoveries led him to the point where he renounces his magic Prospero’s grand design is to bring about the revelation, guilt, shame, repentance and forgiveness of his enemies. An element of the responder’s discovery is that Prospero’s own character resembles the major characters: “This thing of darkness, I acknowledge mine”
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare •
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Laura L
Prospero’s journey is from revenge to forgiveness, and that his sudden pardon of his enemies is brought about by a discovery of his own humanity and mortality The recognition of his own human failings and propensity for cruelty creates a means to reconcile himself to his enemies
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The role of relationships in the play is that through Prospero’s planned discoveries of
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the other characters and the role of magic, ultimately, he is more human than divine “Shall not myself / one of their kind … be kindlier moved than thou art?” (To ariel)
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For Prospero, discovery is confronting and provocative, leading to new worlds and values that challenge his assumptions and beliefs : “The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance”
- Ariel and Prospero •
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“ Discoveries can emerge from a process of deliberate and careful planning evoked by curiosity, necessity or wonder”
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Both characters have the ability to coerce and control Ariel conjures up the discoveries Prospero planned for his enemies Both characters yearn, and attempt to earn their freedom from imprisonment
- Ariel and Prospero •
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“ An individual’s discoveries and their process of discovering can vary accordingly to
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their personal, cultural, historical and social contexts and values”
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They both hold a propensity to instigate discoveries in themselves and others Ironic reference: “The creatures who were mine, I say, changed ;em / Or else new formed ‘em what tune pleased his ear” both to Prospero’s magical powers and Ariels music
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They both are willing to opportunistically draw upon the power of others to their own advantage
- Stephano, Trinculo and Prospero •
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“ Discoveries can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others”
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Prospero is similar to the drunken pair as they are use paranoid and neurotic ways to acquire kingship and control Just as the pair are intoxicated with alcohol, Prospero was intoxicated with his revenge scheming and power
- Alonso and Prospero •
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“ Discoveries … can lead us to new worlds and values, stimulate new ideas, and enable us to speculate about future possibilities…The ramifications of particular discoveries may differ for individuals and their worlds” Prospero’s experience on the isle is similar to that of Alonso in various ways They both ‘lost’ their kingdom, Prospero due to exile and Alonso due to Prospero’s magic and the tempest
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Both Alonso and Prospero discover a truer sense of self and become aware of their own failings to recognise their wrongdoing Prospero sacrifices his magic and drowns his book “deeper than did ever plummet” to grant Miranda a new life — > Alonso’s affection for Ferdinand
- Sycroax and Prospero •
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“ Discovery can encompass the experience of discovering something for the first time or rediscovering something which has been lost, forgotten or concealed”
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Sebastian says: “The devil speaks in him” a link Prospero himself often made about Sycroax Both characters were forced into an exile on the island from their countrymen Both their exiles condemn the martial prospect of their children respectively Caliban is the only young man Miranda had s ighted, Miranda the same for Caliban
- Ferdinand, Miranda and Prospero •
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“ Discoveries can be fresh and intensely meaningful in ways that can be emotional, creative, intellectual, physical and spiritual” Prospero leads Ferdinand through a s eries of physcial, emotional and spiritual discoveries and thereby trains Ferdinand to be hard-working, compassion and empathetic
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In Miranda, Prospero has a kindred spirit who is idealistic and naive in her conception of mankind (too trusting)
Ideas and the concept of discovery: •
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One must distinguish between the syllabus notion of ‘ideas’ and a more traditional literary analysis which focuses on themes Themes are not conceptual ideas; themes include revenge, love, redemption, magic, and loss but these are much broader that the refined speculation ideas about Prospero’s concept of discovery and its deliberate and planned role
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Prospero’s purpose for planning, enacting and observing the discoveries of various characters suggests the design of a project for a grand plan “Noe does my project gather to a head” (Act 5) The chronological sequence of events on the island is set out, and act 1 details Prosperos plan, satisfying the duel purpose of obtaining revenge and ensuring the safety
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of Miranda “Their understanding begins to swell, and the approaching tide will shortly fill the reasonable shore that now lies foul and muddy” (act 5) Prospero’s marine metaphor for his enemies understanding highlights various dramatic techniques: the play’s motif of water, the figurative ‘swelling’ of guilt within his enemies, the sense of Prospero’s injustice has now returned as a tide returns back to
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The Tempest; William Shakespeare
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shore, and the symbolic setting of an isle whose prisoners are stranded in a metaphorical ocean of despair
- The Rationale for Prospero’s Planned Discoveries •
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The role of discovery is to generate the characters self-awareness of their own crimes, draw upon their natural guilt, and ultimately produce their penitence The discoveries serve to bridge the buried self-knowledge of their crimes to an equivalent sensory experience or discovery of Prospero’s suffering
- Prospero’s Grand Design for his Enemies and Miranda •
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strand his enemies upon the isle after a contrived shipwreck cause his enemies to believe they are forever lost and that King Alonso’s son and heir is dead create the recognition within his enemies that their suffering is analogous to Prospero’s suffering twelve years earlier build empathy within those who cruelly exiled him from Milan with parallel experiences pf frustration, exile and loss]manufacture the courtship and marriage of his daughter to Ferdinand ensure the political conditions for his own safe return generate the penitence of his enemies and, therefore, the necessary conditions for his on forgiveness and trust return to Milan after denouncing his powers witch had served and protected him on the island but also had compromised his precious role as Duke of Milan For each of the characters, the discoveries are alternately shocking, heartbreaking, testing, painful, rewarding or else design to create virtue by instilling hard work and patience
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Prospero draws upon the magic of Ariel to enact the various physical and emotional discoveries of his enemies with song, music, false banquets and hunting dogs Ariels discovery of the havoc wrought upon the people causes him to urge Prospero to forgive his enemies Miranda undergoes an alarming set of discoveries, including the physical and emotional grief after witnessing the sinking ship, learning her troubled family past, falling in love, and encountering the ‘brave new world’ of people
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Alonso’s experience on the isle is a moral discovery after recognising his crimes against Prospero: “O, it is monstrous: monstrous!… The name Prosper. It did bare my trespass Therefore my son i ‘th ooze is bedded and i’ll seek him deeper than e’er plummet sounded, and with him there lie mudded”
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Shakespeare breaks the iambic pentameter with anapaestic substitution in the opening line of Alonso’s declaration to stress his deep and abiding understanding of his own crime, laying emphasis on the word monstrous. This repetition reinforces the sense of Alonso’s self discovery that his ‘mudded’ son lies in a sea grave owing to his own ‘tresspass’ — > Alonso ‘muddied’ his own soul though Prospero’s exile
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Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban experience unsettling physical discoveries in their battles against Ariel, who torments them with apparitions Gonzalo undergoes discoveries in equal measure intellectual and emotional, causing him to speculate upon ideal social, political, agricultural and spiritual possibilities of the isle Contrastingly, Sebastian and Antonio appear wholly unmoved by their discoveries. Prosper plans their experience of shipwreck, familial grief and a deep sense of personal loss that should lead to empathy, understanding and penitence. However, such is the design that his brothers lack of remorse does not unhinge the execution of his grand project: “For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother would even infect my mouth, I do forgive thy rankest fault - all of them - and require my dukedom of he”
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The great part of Prospero’s grand design is to establish a model regency for Ferdinand and Miranda. This is achieved by placing Ferdinand on a series of emotional discoveries about his ‘dead’ father and a visceral discovery of physical work via the logs Prospero’s plan for Ferdinand is that he will prove a model suitor for Miranda and return to Naples from his journey of self-discovery with a newfound empathy for the men of his kingdom
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“I have too austerely punished you / your compensation makes amends (Act 4 scene 1)
Commented [9]:
check where this quote is
- Key Ideas about The Tempest and Discovery •
Idea 1) The Play is about Prospero’s Journey from Revenge to Forgiveness
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Prospero as a lonely, vengeful political exile who opportunistically ensnares his enemies with magic, coercing Ariel initial the tempest This idea holds that Prospero is principally driven by the desire for vengeance and that he ultimately is convinced to forego his revenge after Ariel shames him.
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This theory holds that Prospero’s character arc is evidenced by his willingness to renounce vengeance and forgive his enemies “Your charm so strongly works ‘em That is you now beheld them, your affections Would become tender” “Dost thou think so, spirit” “Mine would sir, were I human” “And mine shall”
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The link to the concept of discovery with this particular theory is the idea that Prospero’s desire for revenge wilts the sudden and unexpected discovery that his enemies suffer by his actions and the idea that discoveries may stimulate new ideas and
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offer renewed perceptions of others. His desire for revenge is tempered by the grief and suffering of others and Prospero is ironically transformed by the very empathy he is attempting to create within those who have wronged him.
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Alonso and Gonzalo’s discoveries are individually far-reaching and transformative but will also deeply affect the political and cultural organisation of their border society upon their return to Naples
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Idea 2) The Play is a Work of ‘post -colonial’ Drama
Idea that the play is centred on th e relationship between Caliban and Prospero as a means to symbolise the emerging victimhood of colonial slaves in European empires It centres on Prospero’s mistreatment of Caliban and his seizing of the isle from its owner, and thus his teaching of his own language to Caliban “You taught me language, and my profit on’t Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you for learning me your language” (Act 1)
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This theory maintains that Prospero symbolises a wealthy and manipulative European colonial who desires to enslave the natives of other nations a nd thereafter relegates the displaced natives as the untouchable ‘other’ on the island, thought capable of rape, theft
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and murder and efficiently projects his own crimes onto their heads This theory centres on Prospero’s ‘theft’ of the island, as related by Caliban “This island’s mine by Sycroax my mother, Which thou take's from me. When though
cam’s first, thou strok ’st me and made much of me, wouldst give me water with berries in’t, and teach me how to name the bigger light, and how the less. That burn by day and night. And then I loved thee, and showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle” •
The framework of this idea is known as ‘post-colonial theory’, a misnomer of a term for The Tempest in that while Prospero is on the island, he is very much the role of a colonial, opposed to a post colonial ruler
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This theory also ignores that Caliban attempted to rape Miranda in the backstory and Prospero’s anger centred on this particular transgression and ultimate breach of trust for the hag born “freckled whelp” he once loved and a dopted as a child (Act 1)
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The conception idea of discovery within this idea is that discoveries can be confronting and provocative, may be challenged or questioned when viewed from different perspectives , their worth reassessed over time, and that the ramifications of particular
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discoveries may differ for individuals and their worlds Argue that shakespeare’s purpose is to s how us that the European discovery of foreign land was fraught with moral and ethical problems (use the e.g. of Prospero and Caliban) It asserts that the historical notion of European ownership of ‘discovered’ land is a concept to be challenged and not easily trusted
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It also encompasses the idea that the discovery of Prospero’s language by Caliban is a double edged sword, at once granting Caliban a means of c ommunication whilst simultaneously condemning him to the life of an outcast who could not possibly hope to match a natural authority •
Idea 3) The Play is about Shakespeare’s role as a Dramatist and farewell to the stage
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This theory holds that the play is Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage as a metaphorical conception of theatre as a type of private world controlled by the playwright
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It equates Prospero’s isle to Shakespeare’s stage and it principally about the idea that Shakespeare, and other playwrights, are in such control of their stage that they are equivalent to a magician in their ability to inspire and control events - create intended effects within characters - and cast a type of spell that entrances their audiences:
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“Ariel, fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell. I will discase me, and myself present, As I was sometimes Milan” The link between concept of discovery and this idea is that discovery is a process of deliberate and careful planning evoked by curiosity, necessity and wonder and that discovery may lead to new worlds and values, stimulate new ideas and offer renewed perceptions and understandings of ourselves and others
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This idea furthermore encompasses the notion that Shakespeare is presenting himself to the world as a dramatist capable of creating continual revelatory discoveries within his audience and thereby synthesise or bridge their understanding of fictional characters to real people in the broader community it is to argue that Shakespeare envisions himself as a grand magical capable of engineering the discoveries and metamorphosis of his characters on stage and, in turn, the emotional, intellectual and spiritual discoveries of his audience Societies and the concept of discovery:
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An important element of a plays concept and drama is to be located in its context Elizabethan society was contemporarily obsessed with the discovery of foreign lands and began to socially interact with the native people of these ‘discovered’ territories Shakespeare wrote The Tempest in approximately 1611, at a time of English exploration and colonisation of Africa, the Caribbean and, only four years earlier, the settlement of Jamestown in modern Virginia
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Its worth remembering that this play was written at a time of pass ing failure for the great English colonial experiment: Jamestown was briefly abandoned following ‘starving time’ of the previous two winters a nd English settlers largely relied upon North American Powhatan tribe and trade ships for their food supply and ultimate survival (famine lasted for two years)
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Sir Thomas Gates reaching Virginia was considered a miracle given that his ship Sea Venture, had survived a great tempest off the coast of Bermuda in 1609 and his crew were forced to live of freshwater springs and wild animals of the island for almost a year before embarking to Virginia in a parallel exile to that of Prospero and Miranda
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Shakespeare’s comedy acknowledges the risks and attractions of territorial exploration and cultural interaction as a means to stimulate cultural, historical and personal discoveries To discover and settle land in the Americas during Shakespeare’s time was to risk ones life in the midst of unknown native societies Despite his own societies topical interest in the perilous trips of adventurers to the indian ocean and Americas, Shakespeare elected to set his final play on a fictitious island in the mediterranean sea, and island unintentionally ‘discovered’ by exiles and shipwrecked royals
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Laura L
This is an important distinction to note when conceptualising the relevance of society and discovery in the text. Prospero’s island is not claimed for empire with explorers product planting a flag, but rather, with the exception of Miranda, is an island inhabited by guilty creatures “Men of sin” (act 3 scene 3) compelled to suffer the effect of their own wicked actions and thereafter experience the transformative power of discoveries in the island
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It is also worth remembering Shakespeare wrote this play immediately following Jon Dee, a controversial alchemist, magician and occultist’s, death John Dee’s cultural similarities to that of Prospero lie not only in their ability to use magic but his keen interest for the preservation of old manuscripts and books , his concerted attempts to communicate with angels and his expert navigational techniques
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Navigational skills were central to the new notions of exploration and discovery Language and the concept of discovery:
- Plot and Subplots •
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The play is structured around a central plot, Prospero’s grand design or ‘project’ to ensure his enemies and create a royal a dvancement for his daughter The play is structured around two subplots; the first which focuses on Sebastian and Antonio’s plan to murder Alonso and Gonzalo in act 2 in order to become king, and the second which focuses on Stephani, trinculo and Caliban’s plan to usurp the kingship of the isle from Prospero, explored in act 2 and act 4 The purpose and function of the two subplots is a feature of the play’s dramatic irony; the respond is at once comically aware of the inevitable failure of the plot against Prospero’s life by the butler, jester, and Demi-devil, but also recognises by the plays end that the parallel plot of Sebastian and Antonio’s planned murder of Alonso and Gonzalo is equally opportunistic and amateurish. Both subplots are doomed to fail and, moreover, the merging of the main plot and the subplots underscores throw transformative effects of the isle and its ability to expose human nature: the aristocratic courtiers are no greater than the drunken servant jester and monster in their base desire for power and willingness to murder to achieve their corrupt ends Arguably the play has yet another two subplots in the courtship of Miranda and Ferdinand, and in the relationship between Prospero and Ferdinand
- Blank Verse and Prose •
Shakespeare employs ‘blank verse’, lines of iambic pentameter (Lines of 5 feet. One foot is one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. There are usually 10 syllables total per line. It is said to mimic the sound of the human heart. )
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There is the noticeable absence of a shift between blank verse and prose in this ply compared to other works (blank verse does not occur during the tempest in act 1) There is a lack of soliloquy despite numerous asides from Prospero Caliban’s blank verse is ironically as profound, eloquent and poignant as that of any other character within the play
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“Good wombs have borne bad sons” (Act 1) — > The multiple images of birth, wombs and pregnancy allude to the idea of rebirth of the shipwrecked men; a grand spiritual resurrection akin to that prophesied
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The isle is a figurative womb in which subjects grow and undergo self-discoveries Moreover, the mariners are metaphorically delivered to Prospero stillborn and remain ‘asleep’ until Ariel awakes them in ac t 5 Sebastian’s insult to boatswain in act 1 of ‘Uncharitable dog” and Antonio’s “hang cur” symbolically suggests the idea of a letter being issued on the island.
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The imagery of hanging in Gonzalo’s prose: “Make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage. If he be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable” suggests a troubled birth via a choking umbilical chord
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Even Sebastian and Antonio couch their plot to kill Alonso and Gonzalo in a birth metaphor: “The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaim a better from thee; and a birth, indeed / Which throes thee much to yield” (act 2)
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Pregnancy, labour and birth imagery is prolific in The Tempest as a means to illustrate the extended metaphor that the island affects spiritual rebirth from its subjects The transitional nature of being in utero and the wombs ability to paradoxically promote growth within a water bound carriage is an apt metaphor to symbolise the transformative qualities of discovery
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Miranda’s loss of innocence at the shipwreck of the crew is moreover a metaphorical impegnantijon of her mind, eventually leading to her “brave new world” remark upon seeing the assembled lords and crew in act 5, the wording a pun on the contemporary meaning of ‘brave’ as a fruitful womb
- Biblical Allusion •
Shakespeare refers to several biblical allusions in the play, including the imagery of an idyllic isle reminding of the Garden of Eden populated by a young male and female
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(Ferdinand and Miranda) spied upon by a harsh and vengeful God the staff of Prospero which parts the waters and creates the sea-storm, reminiscent of the staff of moses Prospero’s persecution of Caliban and the servitude of Ariel, reminiscent of Jehovah, Lucifer an the archangels
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The disbelief of the crew upon sighting Prospero in act 5, reminiscent of the resurrection of Christ and the reaction of his disciples who doubted their own discoveries
- Songs •
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The role of songs underscores the tranquility and beauty of the island Ariel ensnares and traps Ferdinand as he is led to the discovery of the death office father through enchaining music and song The purpose of the songs in the role of discovery is to soften the blow of the a larming messages they carry However, their central message also bear metaphoric truths: Alonso is about to undergo a sea-change into something rich and strange, remembering his eventual repentance for
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his crimes against Prospero will transform his character — > A discovery as powerful as death itself in its ability to create a new world of love, forgiveness and reconciliation •
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Song is also employed by Ariel as a means to taunt , frighten and warn the wandering shipwrecks It is alternately employed in the second subplot as a means to express the druken ecstasy of the pair on their lascivious and rapacious quest the seize the island The Epilogue:
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The Tempest is often interpreted as the request of Prospero to his a udience to release him from their spell While the epilogue is validly read as Prospero’s direct address to his audience, it might equally be interpreted as a humble request to his new companions not to leave him stranded on the isle Another possibility is that the Epilogue is a form of repentance to a higher celestial authority whose supernatural powers, vengeance and grand schemes he has mimicked Stage direction: Please you, draw near Prospero assembles the lords Consider Prospero’s request “But release me from my bands, With the help of your good hands” it is a pun on the applause of the audience and the boatswain, who begin the play disregarding authority of the nature order Prospero’s final couplet, “As you from crimes would pardoned be / Let your indulgences set me free” it sounds like a request to Antonio, given the events of the unpleasant brother Caliban now rules the isle over Prospero whose strength is “most faint” without his books The epilogue could be seen as Prospero’s direct address to Jehovah, whose powers he mimicked Without his magic Prospero is left humbled and frail, and his address is reminiscent of the Lords Prayer in the plea for mercy “Let me not / Since I have my dukedom got / And pardoned the deceiver, dwell / In this bare island by your spell” “Gentle breath of yours my sails / Must fill, or else my project fails” might refer to the plea to the audience Moreover, the dukes recognition that his “ending is despair / Unless I be relieved by prayer” signal Prospero’s humble recognition before a wrathful God that he has unduly imitated him with supernatural powers over Caliban and Ariel The newly dispossessed magician seeks divine forgiveness in the same manner he has granted it to his one-time enemies: freely, indulgently and without reservation
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