In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda on a deserted island. On the surface, he appears to be a benevolent leader doing his best to protect and care for the inhabitants of the island, especially for Miranda. On closer inspection, however, Prospero plays God, controlling and creating each individual to fit the mold he desires. He takes advantage of his authority over the people and situations he encounters while wearing a facade of integrity and compassion to disguise his wily intentions and to retain love and respect.
In Act I of the play, Prospero finally tells Miranda the woeful story of how she and he arrived on the island. From the beginning, Prospero plays his subjects and his sympathetic audience as pawns in his game of manipulation. He explains that twelve years ago he was the Duke of Milan, but being enthralled with his studies, he left most of the governmental responsibilities to his brother Antonio. Antonio, hungry to be “Absolute Milan” himself (1:2, p.6), proceeded to betray him with the help of King Alonso of Naples. When Miranda asks why they were not killed, Prospero sighs, “Dear, they durst not,/ so dear the love my people bore me” (1:2, p.7). From the beginning, Prospero portrays himself as a distinguished scholar and beloved leader unjustly victimized by his power-hungry brother. Who would suspect such a humble man of being psychologically manipulative? Prospero succeeds in deceiving many with this credible guise.
Prospero’s control of Miranda is evident throughout The Tempest, even from their first conversation. He says, “Canst thou remember/ A time before we came unto this cell?/ I do not think th…
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…hey have chosen each other, when in fact Prospero orchestrated their falling in love from the outset. By using reverse psychology to make the couple think he does not approve of Ferdinand, Prospero catalyzes a rebellion against himself with the purpose of bringing the couple together. In the end, Prospero reveals himself to King Alonso and his men. He frees Ariel, pardons Caliban, and plans to return to Milan where Miranda and Ferdinand will be married. Prospero gets everything he wants–his dukedom, a powerful son-in-law, and a return to society.
Works Cited and Consulted
Corfield, Cosmo. “Why Does Prospero Abjure His ‘Rough Magic,'” Shakespeare Quarterly. 36 (1985): 31-4 8.
Mowat, Barbara A. “Prospero, Agrippa, and Hocus Pocus,” English Literary Renaissance. 11 (1981): 281-3 03.
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Mineloa, NY: Drover, 1999.
Aime Cesaire’s A Tempest Clarifies Shakespeare’s The Tempest
Cesaire’s A Tempest Clarifies Shakespeare’s The Tempest
“Negritude, originally a literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals, reflects an important and comprehensive reaction to the colonial situation of European colonization” (Carlberg). This movement, which influenced Africans as well as blacks around the world, specifically rejects the political, social, and moral domination of the West. Leopold Senghor, Leon Damas, and Aime Cesaire are the three pioneers of the revolution. The founder who expresses his ideas more broadly, though, is Cesaire, who uses literary works to express his viewpoint on colonization. An excellent example of such a tactic is his play, A Tempest, which is a revision of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Both Shakespeare and Cesaire accentuate the greed of Europeans in their plays. However, Cesaire is more obvious in his approach to exposing it. A comparison of the two plays demonstrates that Cesaire’s version, written in the late 1960’s, is written as a confrontation of Shakespeare’s play. He is attempting to comment on the corruption of Colonialism and the European domination of the New World through such strategies as making seemingly minor changes, switching the main character role, and altering the storyline itself.
Incorporating alterations such as ethical changes, using different language, and the change in title may seem ineffective initially, but close reading proves that Cesaire uses these strategies as his reaction to European colonialism. Because it was written in the 1600’s, a time when European domination of the East was present and blacks were nothing more than servants, William Shakespeare’s play does not include, nor mention black…
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… Theories of Colonialism