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Recommended: Concept of power
Many people feel more powerful when they know all the drama around their school and in history it is the same way. In history, many rulers are more powerful when they have more knowledge of the countries standings or if they know a lot of information about other rulers in other countries. In First Encounters of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the French by Kellogg and The Tempest by Shakespeare the people gained power when they had more knowledge of everything going on in the world or their specific country. During the Age of Exploration, power is gained through knowledge when someone has more knowledge about a specific topic which is shown through Prospero in The Tempest and The Indians in First Encounters of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the French. The …show more content…
Caliban, Prospero's former slave, left Prospero’s services and made Stephano his new master when Stephano gave him a new kind of alcohol he had never had before. After Caliban left Prospero, he managed to convince Stephano that Prospero was a bad person and that the only way to rule the island was to make sure Prospero was dead. The Tempest explains that when Prospero gains the knowledge of Caliban’s plan he is able to stop him and save himself. He sends, “{...} spirits, in shape of dogs and hounds, hunting them about”(VI.1. 159-160). Since Prospero gained knowledge about Caliban’s plan he also gained power because he was able to control where Caliban went after he set the wild dogs to chase him. Also, Prospero gained power because he was able to use what he knew to help himself out and save himself which kept him alive and in charge of the island. Shakespeare’s ideas throughout The Tempest explain what was going on in that time period, The Age of Exploration. Shakespeare explains that during The Age of Exploration, people were exploring new land and trying to rule over new land that they didn’t know existed and in The Tempest Prospero discovers new land and tries to rule over it even though natives were already living there. As Shakespeare explains through Prospero in The Tempest, people living in the time of the Age of Exploration
Prospero, Duke of Milan, a studious man who had delegated to his ambitious brother Antonio many of the affairs of government, was 'extirpated' by him and sent to sea, with his infant daughter. Providence brought him safely to an island used as a place of exile by the witch Sycorax, where he lived for many years, studying the art of sorcery. When the play opens, he has long ruled the island, commanding the spirits of the air, and enslaving the brutish, misshapen Caliban, progeny of the witch. Through his spells he causes to be swept ashore by a tempest, a ship bearing the ally of Antonio, the King of Naples, and his son Ferdinand, and Antonio himself. As Prospero tells Miranda, his daughter:
When Caliban asks The tricksters, Stephano And Trinculo to help kill Prospero so Stephano can be lord of the island with Caliban as his servant, it demonstrates a struggle for power. Caliban wants to do this because Prospero refuses to treat him well. Opposing this is that Caliban deserves this wrongful treatment an attempt to have sexual intimacy with Miranda. Since Caliban deserves his wrongful treatment he is in no position to disobey and plot against Prospero, but Caliban is again forgiven. "Caliban plots against Prospero" (Act 3; Scene 2). "Caliban enjoys the liquor and begs to worship Stephano" (Act 2; Scene 2). Caliban wants to worship them because he thinks that Stephano is the man in the moon or a moon god, and he thinks they are capable of killing the powerful wizard Prospero. Attempting to gain power people will do whatever it takes to rise in
He is the subhuman, son of the witch. When Prospero comes to the land, he forces Caliban to be his slave. An example of implying slavery in the tempest is Prospero’s treatment toward. Caliban.
Also he was basically raised animalistic so you can not blame him for trying to free himself because he has never understood what he did was wrong because he was not taught what is acceptable in a society. He is only going off of primal instincts and when Prospero took those away, he is obviously going to be reckless. Thus making him seem like a villain, but he had just lost everything he knew and his island was uprooted from his control. Another thing is Caliban wouldn't have even been in the picture, let alone an issue, if it wasn't for Antonio who cast Prospero onto the island where he was. Caliban was fine being in solidarity and Antonios' actions are what portrays Caliban as a rapscallion even though he unnerved after Prospero shows
Throughout history we have heard stories of people who strive for power. People willing to do anything for that power. However, there is always some form of struggle in order to get that power, whether the struggle being a personal issue or an issue with another person. In the play The Tempest by William Shakespeare has many examples of characters who strive for power.
Originally, the island Prospero now rules over, was owned by Sycorax, an evil witch and mother of Caliban. Caliban is the last native of the island. However, Prospero ripped away the island from Caliban and later enslaved him. Formerly, Caliban and Prospero were on good terms; Prospero even let Caliban live with him and treated him with human care. However, after the attempted rape against his daughter, Prospero completely turned on Caliban. Prospero began to treat Caliban with disrespect and torture. In turn, Caliban became aggressive with violent tendencies which lead to a further weakening in the relationship of Prospero and
His daughter and I will be king and queen-save our graces!-and Trinculo and thyself shall be viceroys”(Shakespeare 3.2.108-10). After hearing of how to take Prospero’s power away he decides within seconds of hearing it that he shall fight to have control of the island. Even though Stephano has never met Prospero or seen what his powers can do, he decides that this may be his only chance to gain power due to being a butler. Another example of someone fighting for power is Prospero’s brother, Antonio. When Prospero describes the story of how they
Caliban, Prospero’s beastial servant, previously had a great relationship with Prospero where Prospero acted as a teacher and provided guidance for him; their relationship had completely changed when Caliban is tempted by the throws of passion and tries to force himself on Miranda, Prospero’s greatest gift “O ho, O ho! Would’t had been done! Thou didst prevent me. I had peopled else the isle with Calibans” (1:2 419-421). Prospero demonstrates his abhorrence by assigning Caliban to be his eternal slave, this shows the copious amount of control that Prospero holds and can afflict unto others.
In The Tempest both Caliban and Prospero talk about how the two were friends in the beginning. Prospero taught Caliban his language and customs. In return Caliban showed Prospero all the good resources of the island. After gaining Caliban’s love and trust Prospero tricks Caliban by enslaving him. In Act I Scene II Caliban reminds Prospero what Caliban did for him saying “show’d thee all the qualities o’ the isle, the fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile: cursed
After all of their interactions, and even after Caliban offered them resources of the island as well as a well devised plan to kill Prospero, Stephano still addresses Caliban as a monster and uses him as a slave. In addition, Stephano and Trinculo claims to be superior to Caliban although Caliban was crucial to help them kill Prospero. Caliban, on the other hand, viewed them as gods, as saviors who came to the island to free him from Prospero. He addresses them as kings,
Her son Caliban, who became Prospero’s slave, previously felt like he was his own king on the island(Tempest I. ii 344-345). In another episode when Gonzalo and Alonso made their future plans, Gonzalo dreamt of building some utopian society on this island and rule over it (Tempest 2.1. 148-156). Subsequently in the story Caliban advises Stephano to kill his master Prospero and immediately Stephano envisions himself as the new ruler on the whole island (tempest 3.2.). He gets extremely emotional about the idea and notes that he would not only kill Prospero, but also take his daughter and become “King and Queen of the island”, making his friend Trinculo and Caliban “the viceroys” (Tempest III.ii.101-103). Subsequently, as it is normal for a colonist, Stephano immediately evaluates the availability of resources and thinks of the ways to take advantage of the spirits that make noises and use them as a source of music and entertainment in his
This part of Prospero threatens to overcome him as he takes revenge upon his betrayers because Prospero does not seem to consider his actions towards the innocent bystanders that get caught up within his plot. Take for example the ship’s crew, they are put under an enormous terror as the tempest tries to sink their ship as seen when they say, “All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost!/” (I, i). His inhuman ways can be further seen as he subjugates the spirits of the island, including Ariel and Caliban, by mistreating them and calling them horrible names like, “Lying slave”, “filth”, “Hag-seed”, and “tortoise” (I, ii). His treatment of the spirits and Caliban is like that of the settlers who overtook the Native Americans and treated them unjustly, “A native living harmoniously with the land extends hospitality …failing to conform to the European’s cultural codes …he is demonized…”
Prospero begins by attacking Caliban’s appearance. He then states that he would educate Caliban and would treat him as a human until Caliban tried to rape Miranda. Prospero explains that he is not the one who is evil. In his assessment of himself, Prospero believes he is kind and did his best to educate Caliban. Prospero believes it is Caliban’s savage nature that does not allow Caliban to conform to a civilized society.
The Tempest was Shakespeare’s final play and as a result has been read many different ways. One character that has sparked discussion among scholars is the original inhabitant of the mystical island, Caliban. I hesitate to describe Caliban because he has been called many things, but Shakespeare certainly intended him to be a savage and a servant of Prospero. Since Caliban was the original inhabitant, many view the interactions between Prospero and him as a representation of conquest and colonization. Aime Cesaire wrote a critique of the The Tempest titled A Tempest, which portrayed Prospero as a slave-owner on a Caribbean island .
When it comes to power, it can be many things. Power can be a good or bad thing depending on who is in control of the power and whether they will use it accordingly. To have the most power in a situation does not necessarily make someone the most powerful, but rather gives them a false sense of being the most powerful. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Ariel is the most powerful character because he can do the most powerful magic, he is good-hearted, and he is not human.