The Tempest Paper
Critics and the Reader: Views on The Tempest
The Tempest is a play written by William Shakespeare that displays many unique qualities of characters, a variety of symbols, and important themes. William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. Shakespeare is regarded by many to be the best writer in the English language. Marrying Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare had a son and two daughters. Shakespeare died on his birthday in 1616. The Tempest was one of Shakespeare’s later plays. The Tempest, considered to be a comedy, has several plots. Many themes and symbols can be spotted in The Tempest, along with many interesting character qualities. Critics discussed three important themes in The Tempest, including alienation. Being an outsider himself, Prospero comes to the island and enslaves spirits that are already on the island. The island itself shows alienation because nothing is around it. Caliban, who was previously the owner of the island, is forced to become an outsider because of his enslavement. Caliban is not just isolated physically, but also because of the alien and monstrous feeling he gets because of Prospero and Miranda. The play shows that physical alienation can be solved with a good surrounding, but personal isolation is a whole different monster. It is not just Caliban who becomes enslaved, but many other island inhabitants are alienated because of Prospero (Angel). Ariel also has to deal with some isolation when Caliban’s mother, Sycorax, traps him in a tree (Shakespearean Criticism). Race was also seen as a big theme in the play. Prospero is both European and Christian, which right away makes him the island’s natural ruler, even though people like Caliban and Ariel are already there. Prospero’s taking of the island shows that he believes Caliban is below him because of race and because his mother is a witch. There is a big difference between the culture of Prospero and Miranda and the culture of Caliban: Prospero and
The Tempest is a play written by William Shakespeare that displays many unique qualities of characters, a variety of symbols, and important themes. William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. Shakespeare is regarded by many to be the best writer in the English language. Marrying Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare had a son and two daughters. Shakespeare died on his birthday in 1616. The Tempest was one of Shakespeare’s later plays. The Tempest, considered to be a comedy, has several plots. Many themes and symbols can be spotted in The Tempest, along with many interesting character qualities. Critics discussed three important themes in The Tempest, including alienation. Being an outsider himself, Prospero comes to the island and enslaves spirits that are already on the island. The island itself shows alienation because nothing is around it. Caliban, who was previously the owner of the island, is forced to become an outsider because of his enslavement. Caliban is not just isolated physically, but also because of the alien and monstrous feeling he gets because of Prospero and Miranda. The play shows that physical alienation can be solved with a good surrounding, but personal isolation is a whole different monster. It is not just Caliban who becomes enslaved, but many other island inhabitants are alienated because of Prospero (Angel). Ariel also has to deal with some isolation when Caliban’s mother, Sycorax, traps him in a tree (Shakespearean Criticism). Race was also seen as a big theme in the play. Prospero is both European and Christian, which right away makes him the island’s natural ruler, even though people like Caliban and Ariel are already there. Prospero’s taking of the island shows that he believes Caliban is below him because of race and because his mother is a witch. There is a big difference between the culture of Prospero and Miranda and the culture of Caliban: Prospero and
Cited: Angel, Christina. “The Tempest.” Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. 2011 ed. Bloom, Harold, ed. William Shakespeare Comedies and Romances. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Moss, Joyce, and George Wilson. “Overview: The Tempest.” Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Vol. 1: Ancient Times to the American and French Revolutions (Prehistory-1790s). Detroit: Gale, 1997, Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004. “The Tempest.” Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 84. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. “The Tempest.” Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 104. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. “The Tempest.” Shakespearean Criticism. Vol. 115. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.