Okay,
I just finished reading Shakespeare’s The
Tempest. Not a modern translation, the old English style. I became
interested in this story after hearing that it involved shipwrecked passengers
and a wizard. Being a Harry Potter and Gilligan’s Island fan, I began reading.
I overlooked the fact that Shakespeare was before both of these franchises, but
it was still a good read.
My
first thoughts on the play were a little confused, mostly because I kept mixing
up all of the characters. But as the story continued, I got things settled
straight. I found the history of Prospero and Miranda and Caliban being on the
island very interesting. I was intrigued that Prospero learned sorcery on the
island, and that Caliban was the son of the sorceress on the island before him.
Caliban’s appearance is described as, “Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil
himself…” (I.ii). He also said to be a disfigured monster in the text. When
Ferdinand is introduced into the text, he can be seen as an opposite to
Caliban. Caliban is hideous and evil, while Ferdinand is handsome and charming.
The
amount of power Prospero holds with his powers is remarkable. He is able to
have spirits bend to his will, and it is through him that He and his spirit
Ariel were able to summon and entire storm to stop Alonso and his men and put
them on the island. My questions are, with so much power, why doesn’t Prospero use
it more? He uses Ariel more than his own powers. Another thing is: Why doesn’t
Prospero use his powers to kill Caliban and relieve him and Miranda from
Caliban’s wickedness? One other thought is Prospero and Ferdinand’s
relationship. Prospero brings Ferdinand in to meet Miranda, and shortly after
accuses Ferdinand of lying and puts him to work! What is the point of
Prospero’s harsh action towards Ferdinand in the beginning of the story? Looking
for any thoughts on the story. Thanks
Hello Graham,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great input on The Tempest. To answer your question about why Prospero is so harsh to Ferdinand, it is because Prospero did not want Ferdinand and Miranda to fall in love too fast. This is so that hopefully nothing will go wrong with Prospero’s bigger plans. For your question about Prospero’s power, there are a few possible ways to look at it. One way is that he may have limited power, meaning he may only be able to use his powers up to a certain point without becoming drained. The other way to look at it is that he may only have one power: controlling spirits. The spirits do the rest of the magic work, Prospero is just the one pulling all of the strings.
An interesting note about Prospero is how he interacts with Ariel, his chief spirit servant. Apparently, a witch had trapped Ariel in a tree for twelve years, and it was Prospero that finally set him free. However, Prospero uses the debt to continually threatens Ariel, saying “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak and peg thee in his knotty entrails till thou hast howled away twelve winters” (I.ii). Ariel has done nothing to be disloyal to Prospero, so is it really necessary for Prospero to threaten Ariel whenever he is in a bad mood? It seems like Prospero is continually lead by his emotions, even though he is very smart when it comes to creating plans and making decisions.
Stephano coming in drunk on the scene is very comedic, but the logic of it doesn’t make sense. When the crew is first scattered on the island, why does he decide to crack a cold one instead of actually try to survive? Even without being under the influence, his choice reveals that there must be something off about his character.
What are your thoughts on this?
Sawyer,
ReplyDeleteYou have some interesting thoughts on the Tempest, thank you. I see the reasoning behind your answers to my questions. As for your questions about Prospero, Ariel, and Stephano, I would be happy to help dive into these characters more.
I believe that Prospero treats Ariel the way he does to make sure that Ariel remembers that Prospero is in charge, and that Ariel doesn’t overstep his place. Ariel does this once, telling his master,
“I prithee,
Remember I have done thee worthy service;
Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, served
Without or grudge or grumblings: thou didst promise
To bate me a full year.” (I.ii)
Prospero does not like that Ariel reminds him of his promise. He is a man of his word, and he will release Ariel when it is time. I believe that Prospero scolds Ariel for not trusting his word, and thinking that he will forget to or not release Ariel from his service. Prospero is grateful for Ariel’s service, but Ariel need not remind Prospero of his promise.
Now on to your man Stephano. You had asked why he drinks instead of surviving. Prospero and Ariel separated all of the men from the ship apart from each other, and I think that Stephano, seeing no other men from the ship, gives up hope and goes to his last comfort, his drink. He declares,
“I shall no more to sea, to sea,
Here shall I die ashore--
This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's
funeral: well, here's my comfort. Drinks (II.ii).
Stephano sees no hope in his situation, and resorts to comfort through his bottle.
I have some questions about Prospero’s plan. He wanted everyone to be alive when they shipwrecked on the island. How would the story have changed if someone had died, or Sebastian and Antonio killed Alonso? My other question is what is the point of Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo working together? Their part in the story didn’t serve much purpose in my eyes. Thanks for any thoughts.
Hi Graham,
DeleteThank you so much for that great insight for my questions. It was super helpful. It makes sense that Prospero would want to keep Ariel in line so that the plan will work. I can also see that Ariel did doubt him as well. And you’re answer to why Stephano gets drunk on the island makes sense; he probably truly thought that all his shipmates were gone forever.
As for your first question, the story’s dynamic definitely would have changed if one or more people had died from the storm and the shipwreck. Many of the scenes that make this play famous would never have happened if death were the case. For example, if Ferdinand ended up drowning out at sea, Miranda would have never fallen in love with him, therefore making the love interest in the story non-existent. Speaking of which, Miranda and Ferdinand’s commitment to each other went from 0 to 60. Ferdinand states that “The very instant that I saw you did my heart fly to your service, there resides to make me slave to it, and for your sake am I this patient log-man” (III, i). In this day and age, it is nearly impossible for a relationship to fly that fast.
As for you question about why Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo working together, they are working together because they were from the same crew on the ship, so they already knew each other. However, Stephano acts as a dead weight since he is drunk, and even calls one of them a “man fish”. But in any survival situation, it is always important to stick in a group, which is what they did.
My next question is this: When Prospero tries to convince the lost sailors that Ferdinand is dead, why is Ferdinand left out of the scheme itself? Was it to make sure the sailors didn’t kill Prospero?
Sawyer,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, especially on the impact of the story with the deaths characters. I’m still somewhat confused on the impact that Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban have on the plot. I understand that Stephano and Trinculo are crewmates, but I was wondering about the impact of the three of them on the plot of the story. Their entire part of the story seems like it serves no purpose in overall story. I see no real importance to their roles. What are your thoughts on this?
As for your thoughts on Miranda and Ferdinand, this story is written by Shakespeare, and just like in Romeo and Juliet, quick love is just part of who the characters are in the play. It is easy for Miranda to fall in love quickly. She has only seen her father and the monster Caliban her entire life. I think that’s why Prospero lets Ferdinand find Miranda. She gets to meet a handsome and new man, which leads to her falling in love. As for Ferdinand, his emotions towards Miranda seem genuine. When asked by Miranda if he loves her, he exclaims,
“O heaven, O earth, bear witness to this sound
And crown what I profess with kind event
If I speak true! if hollowly, invert
What best is boded me to mischief! I
Beyond all limit of what else i' the world
Do love, prize, honour you.”
I find that thought there love is fast, it is also genuine.
Now for your question about Prospero working to convince the soldiers that Ferdinand is dead. Prospero talks to the soldiers, mentioning that he also lost daughter in the storm. What he means by this is that he lost his daughter to the love of another man. I think that Prospero does this to make it look like that he has had no part in the orchestration of their love. He wants it to look as if they found each other, and fell in love without any help, which is true in some sorts.
I have another question about Prospero’s magic. I asked before about its limits, but now I am asking why he gives up his magic? If he is able to do great things with his magic, why not use his powers to help him in his dukedom? Aren’t there other wrongs that could be fixed with a little magic?
Thanks
Hello again, Graham!
ReplyDeleteThank you again for all of the great analysis that you have given me for The Tempest! To answer your question about why Prospero decides to give up his powers, I think this is a very Avengers: Endgame kind of answer. After the final battle against Thanos, Steve Rogers goes into retirement by traveling back in time and becoming old, therefore losing both his strength and title as Captain America. In the same way, Prospero sees that there is no need for his powers, because he will be returning to the mainland and wants to enjoy the company of his daughter and other friends, which is why he says to the audience, “Release me so I can return to my dukedom with your help. The gentle wind you blow with your applause will fill my ship’s sails”.
I see your point about the fast developing romantic relationships that are seen in Shakespeare; this can either be one of two things. It is either a signature move that Shakespeare had when writing plays, a calling card of sorts, or he wanted to put love interests into his plays to make them more interesting, and was barely able to squeeze them in.
I see how you can think that Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban may seem useless, but there are some reasons why they are included. At one point, they did plot to kill Prospero, which meant that Ariel had more jobs to do. More realistically, Shakespeare used their scenes as comic relief to give the audience time to breath from the more intense scenes. After all, The Tempest is a comedy.
My next question is this: How are they all going to go to the wedding in Naples if the ship has been wrecked? The last I checked, there is no reference of any lifeboats that the crew used to get to the island in the first place, so are they planning to swim?
Sawyer,
ReplyDeleteThis is most likely be my last post, but I thank you for your insight. I understand your reasoning with Prospero and his powers. I just would find it hard to give up such power if I had the chance to use it for other opportunities. To answer your question about the ship, the ship was never wrecked completely in the first place. When Ariel brings out the Master/Captain and the Boatswain, the boatswain exclaims
“The best news is, that we have safely found
Our king and company; the next, our ship--
Which, but three glasses since, we gave out split--
Is tight and yare and bravely rigg'd as when
We first put out to sea.”
The ship was repaired by Ariel, him telling Prospero, “Sir, all this service/Have I done since I went.” Ariel repaired any damage while the captain and the boatswain were under their sleeping spell.
I can see how Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano are the comedic relief in the play, but the type of humor used in the play is not what people today find funny. But Shakespeare’s version of comedy only means that there is a happy resolution at the end. The play gives this. The men return home, Prospero becomes Duke once again, and Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love.
I find the end of the play to be interesting, considering that it is the first time that Prospero talks to the audience, addressing them in their epilogue. My version of the book has notes on the text opposite each page, and during the epilogue it states that Prospero is dependent on the audience’s approval or disapproval of his actions. My main question is: Do you approve of Prospero’s actions, or do you find his actions irrational and uncalled for? I personally think that his actions have some justification for what happened in the past. He lost his Dukedom to these men, and now he has the chance to restore himself to everything he once was. He also was able to help his daughter find love. Thoughts? Thanks.
I totally forgot about how Ariel fixes the boat; that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI can see how the happy ending of The Tempest is seen as comedic; it almost seems out of place considering their circumstances. An unescapable island full of enemies turns into and escapable island full of friends; this is very unlikely to happen in real life.
On the topic of Prospero breaking the fourth wall, I do see that it is unneeded, however, I do see why Shakespeare included it. Prospero specifically asks the audience to applaud in order to set him free from the stage, meaning that after each performance, there would always be an applause. Wanting to go into theater myself, I see this as a genius way to always have the audience on the good side of the show.
Another habit that I have found Shakespeare to have is creating plays within plays. When Prospero sees the good work that Ariel and the other spirits have been doing, he says, “Thou and thy meaner fellows your last service did worthily perform, and I must use you in such another trick. Go bring the rabble, o'er whom I give thee power, here to this place. Incite them to quick motion, for I must bestow upon the eyes of this young couple some vanity of mine art. It is my promise, and they expect it from me”. Prospero is saying that he wants the spirits to do a show in honor of Ferdinand and Miranda’s marriage, in order to show off his magic powers. Interestingly enough, in Hamlet, they also do a play withing a play. Again, I think that Shakespeare has signature moves that he implements in his work, and there is no shortage of them in The Tempest.
Overall, I am glad that I was able to read The Tempest, because I will be going to see the play up at Trinity Western University! Now I won’t be lost in the plot!