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Examine the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation in The Tempest
Themes in the tempest
Examine the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation in The Tempest
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The Tempest has many themes including reconciliation and forgiveness However, while it is clear that the theme of forgiveness is the main theme of the play, what is up for debate is to what extent the author realizes this forgiveness. After reading the attitudes and actions of the major characters in the play, specifically Prospero, little, if any, true forgiveness and reconciliation is shown in The Tempest.
A strong Christian lesson on the true nature of forgiveness can be found in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount:
But I say to unto you which hear, love your
enemies, do good to them which hate
you
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them
which despiseth you… For if ye love them
which love you, what thank have ye? For
sinners also do even the same. But love
your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again… (Luke 6:27-35).
Prospero’s conduct from the moment the play begins seems to contradict the basic lessons of Christian forgiveness. Prospero’s enemies are within his grasp and Prospero seizes the opportunity for revenge. “Desire for vengeance has apparently lain dormant in Prospero through the years of banishment, and now, with the sudden advent of his foes, the great wrong of twelve years before is stirringly present again, arousing the passions and stimulating the will to action” (Davidson 225). Though Prospero does not intend to harm anyone and he asks his servant, "But are they, Ariel, safe?" (1.1.218), he does want to put the men through the pain and agony of what they believe is a horrible disaster resulting in the death of the prince, Ferdinand.
For Prospero those who wronged him must suffer for what they did to him before he offers them his forgiveness, even if it means ...
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...o’s brief "pardon me" is enough to please Prospero: "First, noble friend/Let me embrace thine age, whose honor cannot be measured or confined" (5.1.124-6). This confirms Prospero’s penchant for forgiveness and the reconciliation of the two men. Does Prospero truly forgive those who "hate" him? His reaction to Antonio speaks volumes:
For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault, -- all of them; and require
My dukedom of thee, which perforce, I know,
Thou must restore. (5.1.130-4)
Prospero goes through the motions of forgiveness, but his sincerity is lost to us. Moreover, there is clearly no reconciliation amongst Prospero, Sebastian, and Antonio. Prospero still considers Antonio a "most wicked sir" (5.1.130) and Antonio, focused on slaying the island fiends, will not even acknowledge Prospero.
Betrayal hurts, everyone has felt the damage which betrayal creates. You almost never expect it to happen from your loved ones, your family. And when it does, the feeling can only be described as a gunshot tearing through your trust, and more importantly your love. One can only describe an act of betrayal as dreadful and to forgive such an abhorrent act would be challenging to say the least. In the play, The tempest, Prospero is banished alway by his brother and the king in hopes he and his daughter die. However both make shelter on a deserted island that prospero uses in his revenge. Years later, the king and a small crew of his men, including prospero's brother are tricked into landing on the island i which prospero's uses this time to half heartedly get payback at those who attacked him so long ago. However Prospero feels it's more important to make amends with his brother, and the other antagonists, and decides to forgive them. Clearly shown from the text, prospero forgives the ones who are guilty.
Prosperos discovery of mercy leads him to regain political power and leadership. It is likely that desire for revenge has lain dormant in Prospero and after 12 years of being secluded on the island, his enemies are now within his grasp and Prospero revels in it. His desire for justice was so great that he commands his spirits to torture
To be able to answer this question we must first understand why Prospero can be seen as good or evil. It is fair to say that Prospero is a main protagonist to the plot of Shakespeare’s Tempest. It is due to Prospero's role as a key figure in the play that has put him under so much scrutiny. Many different Shakespearean critics have their own view of Prospero and those that read or see the play also have their own opinion of the way in which Prospero may be seen.
The Tempest presents the character of Prospero the usurped duke of Milan. In the beginning Prospero’s character can be described as foul, spiteful, and selfish. This can be seen in various scenes in acts one and two of the play where he treats the people around him as his servants especially the fateful Ariel who reminded him of his promise only to be threatened of imprisonment. He’s selfish in the sense that he would do anything to accomplish his goal of executing his plan. Like a master puppeteer he is manipulative and deceptive. He even manipulates his daughter to fit according to his scheme. However, all of his foul characteristics left him as his plan nears its end. It is as if the shedding of his clothes represented his change is personality and attitude. After Prospero discarded his staff, drowned his magic book, and wore his duke garments he became more responsible and sympathetic. Instead of exacting revenge on the king of Naples a...
In summary, Shakespeare’s The Tempest play explores the theme of opposition to the colonial-style authority of Prospero based on various characters’ covert and overt reactions to the master’s antics. For instance, Ariel opposes Prospero’s continuous detention of the former regardless of an earlier agreement to the contrary. Moreover, Caliban expresses his dissatisfaction with the forced labor that her does for Prospero. To prove his opposition to Prospero’s authority, Caliban plans the master’s death. Miranda also makes a statement that indicates her displeasure with the way Prospero executes his authority especially with regard to Ferdinand. The imprisoned Ferdinand also indicates his opposition to Prospero’s power through a disproving statement made before Miranda.
Here, the imaginative sympathy for the sufferings of others leads to an active intervention based upon "virtue" rather than "vengeance." This is a key recognition in the play: virtue expressed in forgiveness is a higher human attribute than vengeance. And in the conclusion of the play, Prospero does not even mention the list of crimes against him. He simply offers to forgive and accept what has happened to him, in a spirit of reconciliation. Unlike other Shakespeare plays, the ending of The Tempest requires neither the death nor the punishment of any of the parties.
In order to complete the cycle, it is necessary for the individual to understand their path of self-destruction and learn from the mistakes they went through to successfully complete the cycle. The Tempest portrays this last step of resilience through Prospero’s forgiveness and happiness at the end of the play. Prospero displays a character of wisdom and intelligence, however, he is blinded with resentment that he uses his accumulated knowledge to take revenge, which leads to a lot of chaos in the play. However, he displays the subtopic of resilience at the end, when he grants forgiveness to many of the characters that has wronged him. He realizes that his wish of ruling the island has a parallel pattern when compared to Antonio’s aspirations as well. This act of forgiveness connects to the overall theme of destruction because it proves that Prospero has recovered from negative damage and he regained himself from destructive thoughts that caused the story to go through
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.
But why the tendency toward revenge in the first place? What was it about the personality and mental disposition of Prospero that caused him to lust for revenge against his brother, Antonio? And Caliban. Why couldn't Prospero overlook his social naïveté when it came to handling a woman? (1.2.350) In this portion of the website, I will examine those questions and attempt to provide an answer and an insight into the psychology of Prospero.
The illusions of justice and freedom, and what they truly are, has been a reoccurring theme throughout the works. The definitions of justice and freedom have become so construed throughout the times. In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero tries to enthrall his audience in his narrative of social justice. The idea of justice the play portrays represents one individual who controls the fate of all others. Their freedom is controlled by the interference of those around them. Although he spends most of the play righting the wrongs done to him, he is misdirecting so to hide his true motive. Prospero misconstrues the definitions of justice and freedom by enslaving Ariel and Caliban, using magic for his own good, and creating a false happy
In The Tempest, there are kind and forgiving characters such as Ariel Miranda, and Ferdinand. However, there are also brutal characters such as Caliban, Antonio, Sebastian, and -to some extent- Prospero. Miranda is a particularly forgiven character, something that is noticeable when she sees the sinking ship and says "O, I have suffered with those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel, who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,dash 'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock against my very heart. Poor souls,they perish 'd. Had I been any god of power, I would have sunk the sea within the earth or ere it should the good ship so have swallow 'd and the fraughting souls within her."(1.2.5-13) Very similar to her is Ferdinand, who forgives Prospero for enslaving him simply out love for Miranda. There is also Ariel, whose kind and loyal nature is shown in its love and forgiveness towards Prospero, the man enslaving it. This is good forgiveness in some characters is often countered in many positions such as Antonio 's power seeking betrayal, and his arrogance and inability to acknowledge Prospero and his generosity in forgiving him. This is shown where Prospero says to Antonio in Act 5, Scene 1 “For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother would even infect my mouth, I do forgive thy rankest fault; all of them; and require my dukedom of thee, which perforce, I know, thou must
Prospero presents himself as a victim of injustice, however his belief of justice and injustice is somewhat contradicting. He takes advantage of this authority over other people and situations he encounters while using his integrity and compassion to mask his dangerous plans and to retain love and respect. The Tempest in the end suggests that love and compassion are more effective political tools than violence, hatred or even abusive magic.
Human Relationships Between The Central Characters in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. In this essay I intend to explore the ways that William Shakespeare has presented the relationships between the main characters within his play “The Tempest”. I shall investigate Ferdinand and Miranda’s relationship, the father/daughter bond between Miranda and Prospero, and Caliban’s lust after Miranda. Shakespeare was intending to represent several different groups of people in society through his plays, and “The Tempest” was no exception to the rule.
Prospero uses the power of love to influence his daughter Miranda. Prospero knows that Miranda is devoted to him so he uses guilt to maintain her devotion. Miranda tells her father “Alack, what trouble/Was I then to you!” (I.2.153.154) her saying that to him shows that because of Prospero making her feel guilty, she is willing to do anything just for him. “Had I been any god of power, I would/Have sunk the sea within the earth…” (I.2.10.11). This quote indicates that she understood the extent of her father’s power and she had possessed the same amount of power, she would use it differently with Prospero. His power over Miranda is one that is continuously in this play. Prospero does say “I have done nothing, but in care of thee, /of thee, my dearest one…”(I.2.16.17) when he says that he makes it known that he does love his daughter and only trying to protect.
In William Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest,” the major themes in these play is good versus evil. There are good characters, which do good, help others and try their best to stay out of trouble and there are other characters are the exact opposite. All the characters do is tried to get even with those who hurt them, hoping that ravage would solve the problem. Good and Evil just like the theme of the book also applies to the world that we live in today because there are good people and there are bad people. Good will