The Christ–like Prospero of Shakespeare’s The Tempest

1367 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Christianity in Shakespeare

The Christ–like Prospero of Shakespeare’s The Tempest

It is not only the goodness of man which, according to traditional Christian concepts ,is not germane to himself. His very being, and his ultimate destiny stems alike from a principle that is infinitely beyond him (Morris 143).

What was Prospero attempting to accomplish through the creation of the storm? Why would he go to that length of natural disaster, if the events would only end in an unharmed manner?

Prospero. But are they, Ariel, safe?

Ariel. Not a hair perished. On their sustaining garments not a blemish but fresher than before; (1.2.218-221).

It was Prospero’s innate goodness that created a merciful storm, temporarily displacing his brother, the Duke, and the ship’s crew. Prospero use of magic allowed him to realize that his power surpassed the Duke’s. What might create empathy in the readers and viewers of this play is that Prospero had double the power of Antonio, the Duke and it showed through his merciful treatment of the storm’s creation. Prospero used intellect and did not operate on emotions solely, which could make the interpretation of the storm more philosophical, than vengeful. Because Prospero was a scholar, his plan became well thought out and the consequences were considered before hand, instead of acting on impulse, worrying about the outcome of those actions when it's too late. The power of nature was apparent to Prospero. His treatment of that power showed that he just wanted to return the rightful position of Duke to himself. "A man’s will, in order to be good, must be conformed to the Divine will….a will must be referred to the common good as an end, and formally will the Divine and universal good in addition to a particular good"...

... middle of paper ...

...peare's Plays.

New York: Haskell House Publishers, 1964.

Clark, Cumberland. Shakespeare and the Supernatural. New York: Haskell House

Publishing, 1972.

Encarta Online , Jan. 2001. Encarta> 16 March 2001.

Greenblatt, Stephen. gen. ed. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: Norton Company, 1997.

Knight, G. Wilson. Shakespeare and Religion: Essays of Forty Years. New York:

Simon and Schuster Publishing, 1968.

Knox , Bernard . The Tempest. New York: Penguin Group, 1987.

"Magic". The Encyclopedia Britannica. 1971. ed.

Morris, Ivor. Shakespeare's God. London: Rustin House, 1972.

Smith, Hallet. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Tempest. New Jersey:

Prentice Hall, 1969.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Bruce M. Metzger and Roland E. Murphy, ed.

New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Show More
Related

  • Gender and Consistency in "The Importance of Being Earnest"

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Importance of Being Earnest is regarded as one of the most successful plays written by Oscar Wilde, a great 19th century playwright. Oscar Wilde deals with something unique about his contemporary age in this drama. It addresses Victorian social issues, French theatre, farce, social drama and melodrama. All these factors influenced the structure of the play in a large scale. This play is basically a Victorian satirical drama showcasing the social, political, economic and religious structural changes that affected 18th century England. It was the time when British Empire had captured most part of the world including Oscar Wilde’s homeland, Ireland. The aristocrats of England had become dominant over the middle and poor class people and Wilde wrote plays with the motivation to encourage people to think against the English aristocracy and artificiality.

    Read More

  • Social Order Satire in "The Importance of Being Ernest"

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone,” engraves Oscar Wilde as he sets the literary table with a bountiful demonstration of Victorian satire. “The Importance of Being Earnest” is evidently a comic critic of late Victorian value (Schmidt 5). Brought into this world from Dublin, Ireland, to well-heeled parents in 1854. Wilde received an opportunity for social improvement when graduating from Oxford University, after receiving a financial scholarship that gave him a first hand account of the upper crust society lifestyle which allowed him to acquire material to poke fun at (Moss 179). Wilde shows his characters as if they knew that people where watching them. By doing that he caused the audience to feel that the actors had authentic regret about their characters actions (Foster 19).

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's The Tempest - Is Prospero Good or Evil?

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Prospero, S Use Of Epiphany In Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the comedic, yet thrilling play, The Tempest, William Shakespeare uses characters such as Caliban, Alonso, and Ariel to show Prospero’s immense cruelness and pure monstrosity. Moreover, these Shakespearean characters are also used to highlight Prospero’s change in character into a kinder and more forgiving person. Prospero starts the play out as a vengeful monster, after an illuminating moment however, his persona transforms into his true identity of a compassionate man.

    Read More

  • Prospero and Caliban in The Tempest by William Shakespeare

    412 Words  | 1 Pages

    In literature as in life, characters are multi-dimensional beings. They possess a wide variety of character traits that make them who they are. In the Tempest written by William Shakespeare, Prospero traits resemble those of the Europeans that came during the exploration of the Americas. Thus, Prospero’s treatment of Caliban is similar to the way Europeans treated the Native Americans.

    Read More

  • Vengeance and Forgiveness in Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Destruction In The Tempest

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Prospero’s Abuse of Power in Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • How Does Prospero Use Allusions In The Tempest

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolism plays a large role in the theme of the Tempest. Throughout the play, there is reference to Prospero's books. Prospero's books are what give him his magic. Although the Tempest evidently shows that when one is exposed to uncontrolled power, they will inevitably abuse it. Prospero begins to use his power to seek revenge. Through the duration of the play, the audience observes Prospero's internal debate, as to how to use his magic. He wants to kill Antonio as payback for banishing him to the island. Prospero's desire to kill Antonio comes from his id. Yet by the end of the play, Prospero realizes that he has been consumed by his need for revenge and consequently decides to throw away his books. The act of throwing away the books symbolizes Prospero's freedom from the constraints of revenge and greed. He lets go of his overwhelming

    Read More

  • "The Importance of being Earnest is a sharp satire on the English upper classes, rather than merely a playful comedy, as Wilde suggested." To what...

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Importance of Being Earnest, uses comedy and farce to display a light hearted approach to the hugely powerful upper class of Victorian society and add a playful edge to their actions. Although it could also be seen as a comedic shell for the true nature of Wilde’s comment upon the society in which it is set, exposing the flaws and inconsistencies that the upper class was built upon. It will be necessary to consider whether Wilde is purposely commenting on the dysfunction of the society in which he lived, or if it does in fact only serve as a comedy.

    Read More

  • Illusion and Reality in Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    To reassure her further, he continues by explaining his motives in creating the storm. Here the reader learns that Prospero and Antonio are brothers, and that Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan but that his brother usurped his kingdom and exiled Prospero and his daughter Miranda. Fortune saved the two from their rotting ship which had been set to drift, and brought them to the island where Prospero has been granted supernatural powers by the enemies of Antonio. From the above description, it is clear that the play embraces both the natural and the supernatural world. Twelve years before the action takes place, we are told that Prospero was a prince who had a different type of power than he has now.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    All in all Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ preserves its comedic appeal to an ever changing contemporary audience despite the fact it was written in the Victorian era. The use of literacy devices and satirical techniques exhibits the themes of marriage, death and the use of the word earnest and how it correlates to the play showcase the satirical craftsmanship of his epigram and with this proves that this renowned piece of literature sparked uproar during 19th century Britain which preserved the Irish born playwright as one of the greatest.

    Read More

  • The Opening and Closing scenes in Shakespeare's Tempest

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most complex changes in the play takes place within Prospero himself. In considering his motives for "wrecking" the ship and bringing the characters to the island, we can't escape the feeling that Prospero holds a great deal of resentment about his treatment back in Milan and is never very far from wanting to exact a harsh revenge; after all, he has it in his power to significantly injure the parties that treated him so badly. We learn more of Prospero's character when he has a sudden insight in the start of the final act, when he decides that revenge is not the most appropriate response.

    Read More

  • Deception in The Tempest

    1465 Words  | 3 Pages

    The play opens with a fearful tempest threatening to destroy the king's ship and all of its passengers. This situation along with the terrified emotions of the characters appears to the reader to be very real. However, in the second scene, the reader meets Prospero and his daughter Miranda. Through their conversation we learn of Prospero's magical powers, his brother's unjust claim as the Duke of Milan, and the exile of the two to this mysterious island. Next unveiled is Prospero's plot of revenge to regain his rightful title, the first step being to shipwreck the royal party on his island with the creation of the magical tempest. The reality of the situation is that there never was any danger from the storm at all.

    Read More

  • Themes of Forgiveness in The Tempest by William Shakespeare

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Christ–like Prospero of Shakespeare’s The Tempest

Open Document