Explore the relationship between servants and masters in 'The Tempest'.
Explore the relationship between servants and masters in 'The Tempest' Laurence Mosley 12DL Within "The Tempest" there are several accounts of different relationships between various servants and masters. Many scenes throughout the play are used to convey different messages concerning each character involved, and reveal many things about them. The most prominent cases of servants and masters are those involving Prospero. He was shipwrecked on the island after being usurped from his title of Duke of Milan. Since the savage Caliban attempted to rape his daughter, Miranda, he seems determined to make life for him very unpleasant. As well as Caliban, Prospero is also in control of Ariel - a spirit whom he rescued from being tormented by an evil witch - Sycorax, Caliban's Mother. Caliban also is within a second group involving servants and masters, this time with Stephano and Trinculo, two drunken servants within the King's court who's first encounter with Caliban leads them to believe that they can use him to their advantage in becoming The opening scene of the play is one that displays an unusual set of events concerning King Alonso and his lords, and crewmembers, who would be regarded of a much lower status, giving orders to people higher up than them. This is an odd relationship between servants and masters at this time of crisis. The orders of higher-class men are fickle
Read the following extract from Act 4, Scene 1. How does it contribute to your view of the way in which the character of Caliban is presented?
Read the following extract from Act 4, Scene 1. How does it contribute to your view of the way in which the character of Caliban is presented? In the course of your answer: * Look closely at language, imagery and tone of the passage * Comment on what the passage suggests about Caliban's role and significance in the play Prospero's dark, earthy slave, frequently referred to as a monster by the other characters, Caliban, is the son of a witch-hag and the only real native of the island to appear in the play. He is an extremely complex figure, and he mirrors or parodies several other characters in the play. In his first speech to Prospero, Caliban insists that Prospero stole the island from him. Through this speech, Caliban suggests that his situation is much the same as Prospero's, whose brother usurped his dukedom. On the other hand, Caliban's desire for sovereignty of the island mirrors the lust for power that led Antonio to overthrow Prospero. Caliban's conspiracy with Stefano and Trinculo to murder Prospero mirrors Antonio and Sebastian's plot against Alonso, as well as Antonio and Alonso's original conspiracy against Prospero. This extract from Act 4, contributes very much to our view of the way Caliban is presented in the play. The opening words of Caliban, 'Pray you tread softly' (line 1) Can tell the reader a lot about what is currently going on and says a lot
Explore early-seventeenth century attitudes to the 'New World' in The Tempest.
05/03/03 English Literature: The Tempest James Hare Explore early-seventeenth century attitudes to the 'New World' in The Tempest One of the most influential writers in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. Around 1590 he left his family behind and travelled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare quickly received public and critical acclaim and soon became the most popular playwright in England and a part owner of the Globe Theatre. Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two. The Tempest is probably the last play Shakespeare wrote, being written around 1610, first performed at Court by the King's Men in the autumn of 1611. It is remarkable for being one of only two plays he wrote in which the plot was entirely original. The Tempest is a play exploring the ethics of the expansions of the British Empire through colonisation. Shakespeare sees colonisation as an expression of power and almost every character in this play ponders how he would rule the island, were he its ruler. The 'New World' was the name given to the newly discovered lands around the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This
What is important about Act I of the Tempest
What is important about act 1 of 'The Tempest'? There are a lot of important matters that occur in the introductory act of 'The Tempest'. For starters, we learn a lot about the characters in a short time, this is mainly due to the royal party being on the boat under storm and characters generously unfold a lot more under strenuous conditions. This also helps us get to know Prospero, Miranda and his servants a lot better, this is mainly due to Prospero trying to seize the situation and take control of it. We also manage to find out about the background of Prospero, Antonio and Alonso. During the opening scene, we hear Boatswain talking to the storm, "Blow till thou burst thy wind." This personifies the tempest, making it a character. This line is very important because later on in the play we find out that the storm was in fact being controlled by Prospero. This is important because we later find out that it was in fact Ariel creating an image of the storm, and we get the hint that the storm is so surreal that Boatswain believes it to be alive. This just highlights Ariel's power, and if she can be this powerful, then Prospero's magic must be very influential. During the opening act, we also learn much of the relationships between the characters. We see Prospero and Miranda's relationship as quite a trustworthy one. This is mainly due to the fact that Miranda is fully aware
The real monster in The Tempest is Prospero rather than Caliban
The real monster in The Tempest is Prospero rather than Caliban" With particular reference to the interpretation of Prospero as a symbol of European colonialism, discuss his treatment of Ariel and Caliban. "The real monster in The Tempest is Prospero rather than Caliban" With particular reference to the interpretation of Prospero as a symbol of European colonialism, discuss his treatment of Ariel and Caliban. In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero can be seen as a coloniser. Although he himself was forced onto the island, he was quick to impose both his beliefs and his self-proclaimed authority over the island's natural inhabitants. This self-appointed ruler however, is not the legitimate sovereign of the island. The native Caliban is the natural landlord of the isle, as it was passed down through his mother Sycorax. Yet Prospero rules over the island. In taking charge of an island that is not his, and then exerting his authority over the inhabitants through his magic, Prospero is obviously a metaphor for European colonial power, with which Shakespeare was becoming increasingly familiar during his lifetime with accounts of sea-men and expeditions splashed all over the covers of the broadsheets. In the Elizabethan Zeitgeist, Prospero would have the right to dominate and exploit Caliban because Prospero would view himself as a superior being with the right to take control of
Shakespeares 'The Tempest' as a Study of Colonialism.
The Tempest as a Study of Colonialism particularly relevant political issues. that Prospero had usurped Caliban from his rule of the island and was thus an agent of imperialism. Since then such an approach to the play (with various modifications) has remained more or less current. This approach to The Tempest also begins with some obvious features of the play. Prospero is a European who has taken charge of a remote island. He has been able to do this because he brings with him special powers. With these he organizes a life for himself, gets the local inhabitants (Ariel and Caliban) to work for him, and maintains his control by a combination of painful force or threats of force, wonderful spells, and promises of freedom some day. In taking charge of a place which is not his and in exerting his European authority over the strange non-European creatures, compelling them to serve him and his values, Prospero, so the argument runs, is obviously a symbol for European colonial power, with which England was growing increasingly familiar during Shakespeare's lifetime. The key figure in this treatment of the play naturally is Caliban, the island native who regards himself as the rightful owner of the place, who is forced against his will to serve Prospero and Miranda, and who constantly proclaims his unwillingness to do so. Initially, Prospero extends to Caliban his European
Explore the themes of Imprisonment, Freedom and Authority in The Tempest. Why might Shakespeare have chosen to highlight these themes?
Explore the themes of Imprisonment, Freedom and Authority in The Tempest. Why might Shakespeare have chosen to highlight these themes? There are three categories that could be used to define the forms of imprisonment in The Tempest. You could say they are physical, Ariel being imprisoned in the cloven pine by Sycorax, mental, Prospero being imprisoned by his thoughts of revenge and there is magical imprisonment, Ferdinand being frozen by Prospero. Physical: The first and most obvious type of physical imprisonment in The Tempest is that of Prospero and Miranda, imprisoned on an island after being exiled from the Kingdom they once ruled. "In few, they hurried us aboard a bark, Bore us some leagues to sea, where they prepared A rotten carcass of a butt, not rigged, Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats Instinctively have quit it ....." Prospero tells Miranda this to try and make her see how they were imprisoned on the island. They were put on a boat that was not sea-worthy by far and left to die, either from starvation or thirst, for they had no food nor drink, or from drowning if the boat had sunk. The second act of physical imprisonment in the play is when Prospero reminds Ariel of her imprisonment by Sycorax, the mad witch and first inhabitant of the island, in the cloven pine tree. Ariel was left there for twelve years after he refused to carry out the foul
How the use of different language amongst the characters in "The Tempest" makes a contrast, making the audience feel differently towards the characters.
In this essay I will try to explain how the use of different language amongst the characters in "The Tempest" makes a contrast, making the audience feel differently towards the characters. Some characters, the audience feel very sympathetic towards and admire, where as other characters the audience despise and feel very unsympathetically towards. I will describe the reason for this and whom the audience loves and whom the audience hates. In "The Tempest", the audience has many different thoughts and opinions of characters. Near the beginning of the play the audience already begins to get an idea of the characters they admire and those they despise, although our thoughts and opinions do begin to change slightly throughout the play as characters have both good and bad points. At the beginning of the play in Act 1 Scene 1 everyone is on the shipwreck getting very annoyed and frustrated. Gonzalo and Sebastian have a rather high role in society, although their language does not show this. As their anger and frustration takes over them and their language becomes very foul, low and crude, they begin swearing and cursing at the Boatswain - 'you bawling, blasphemous incharitable dog', 'Hang cur, hang, you whoreson, insolent noise-maker'. This makes us feel rather unsympathetic towards these characters as it lowers their status. In Act 1 Scene 2 the style of the language used in
How does Shakespeare ensure that the theme of usurpation and its consequences runs throughout The Tempest?
How does Shakespeare ensure that the theme of usurpation and its consequences runs throughout The Tempest? The Tempest is a late romance, which is a mixture of comedy and tragedy and during the play Shakespeare puts across his Church of England views on usurpation. Before we discuss how Shakespeare ensures that the theme of usurpation and its consequences runs throughout The Tempest, we need to define the meaning of the term usurpation. Usurpation is when someone wrongfully seizes/assumes the power or the throne. An example of usurpation was when Napoleon usurped/seized the power from Louis XVI. The main plot of the play is to do with Prospero seeking revenge on his brother for taking his place as the Duke of Milan and leaving him and his daughter Miranda adrift in a boat to die. Prospero wants order to be restored and for him to be back as the Duke of Milan. During the play there are also two subplots involving a couple of people wanting to usurp the King of Naples and a group of three people wishing to usurp Prospero. Some aspects of the idea of usurpation occurs in nearly every scene in the Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" The theme also occurs in a verity of different circumstances and between different groups of people all wanting to overthrow the rightful person for there own benefit. The main way that Shakespeare has ensured that the theme of usurpation runs
Explore Different Interpretations of Caliban(TM)s Character and Role. Is he evil?
Explore Different Interpretations of Caliban's Character and Role. Is he evil? The Tempest presents few problems for readers because plot developments are constantly anticipated by the main protagonists. Yet underpinning the cheerful spirits and comic nature of the play there lies a dark and disturbing plot, specifically the half-hidden story of Caliban's mother Sycorax whose presence haunts the action from the outset. Although now pleasantly enchanting the island was once a terrifying place where 'abhorred' deeds were carried out, that former savage existence is never far away in the story of The Tempest. In fact the island's dark power is always greater than that of Prospero's enemies, who never understand that their every move is controlled by an outside force. The historic inspiration of The Tempest allegedly lies with interest in the 'New World'. With Spain already colonising the Americas, England's own imperial ambition was sufficiently stirred. In the 1580s Sir Walter Raleigh had attempted to found an English colony at Virginia. Further excitement was fuelled by a 1610 account of sailors shipwrecked on the 'enchanted' island of Bermuda. The Tempest evokes the mystery of this new period of exploration. It is clear that Shakespeare's objectives included more than simply entertainment value; he weaves in messages about love, treachery, enslavement, freedom, and mercy.
