Discovery In Shakespeare's The Tempest

Discovery changes our perception of human nature and the world we live in.

What we see as “world” and “nature” are representations invited by our internal predispositions and are separate from the actual. Discovery, therefore ruptures our perceptions and ‘the worlds’ and ‘natures’ that are constituted by them. Such notions can be seen to a great extent in William Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest (1611) and William Butler Yeats’s eclogue, The Wild Swans at Coole (1917) where both texts encapsulate how discovery allows us to perceive the world and the human condition as it is moulded by the individual peculiarities of our minds.

Our conceptions of the “world” and “nature” are not absolute realities, but perceptual and individual representations

Yeats remote and classicist poetic arrangement, in its regular rhyme and meter, is an effort to permanently preserve the “beauty” of the “swans”. These “nine-and-fifty swans” as metaphors and images of the “mystical and beauty” were symbols of permanence to Yeats. However, Yeats inclusion of “autumn” and “October twilight”, as symbols of change, suggest though the swans are “still” in repose, they bear the instinct of flight. Yeats transition from the imagery of “still”, picturesque swans, to the opposing “clamorous” and “broken” image of their “mount” results in an interplay of tensions between permanence and transience. Through Yeats careful combination of tetrameter, trimeter and pentameter he evokes a sense of stillness, his poetic structure, however rigid cannot contain the aesthetic moments which “suddenly mount”, “above” and “away”. Through an interaction of imagery, tension and structure, perception is presented as transient and prone to flux, unable to be permanently fixed. Despite the fact that “all's changed”, Yeats has attended his “nineteenth autumn”. This combined with the circularity of the poem which returns to swans on the lake and metaphoric cyclical nature of “broken rings” demonstrates the continual change of perceptions that are resultant from discovery and

This interactive relation involves a constant reconfiguring of ourselves and our perception. Prospero achieving a newfound sense of humanism by choosing the “rarer action” of forgiveness rather than “vengeance” prompts him to relinquish his enemies to “restore” them to a greater understanding and reconciliation. Through Prospero’s self-discovery and surrendering of magic, its extent metaphorically conveyed in his intention to “bury…[his broken staff and book]…deeper than ever plummet sound.”, he reveals his immense willingness to transform and alerts the audience of his newfound perception of self. This is explicitly supported as Gonzalo articulates in the final Act that many of the characters “found” themselves. However, Prospero’s willingness to conform to the world and be open to change and transformation is heavily juxtaposed to Antonio and his lack of development throughout the play. As explored previously, Antonio was characterised as pessimistic through his contradictory responses to Gonzalo’s depiction of the “isle” in the beginnings of the play. Towards to end, Antonio is characterised as an opportunist, alluding to the Age of discovery through his proclamation of Caliban being “no doubt marketable”. Antonio displays little character development throughout the play, complimenting his lack of willingness to