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power and control in the tempest
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William Shakespeare, in his play The Tempest, uses social order, with particular reference to 17th century gender stereotypes to explain the nature of the main character, Prospero. Prospero is master of the three other main characters, with whom he shares very different relationships. Miranda, his daughter, represents the stereotypical "submissive female" of Elizabethan times who didn't resist; she accedes to everything Prospero says. As a result, Prospero exerts a sort of passive control in relation to Miranda, easily exercising power over her. Caliban, on the other hand, represents the complete opposite of Miranda, fitting an unbridled male role that represents deviation from power. Because of Caliban's digression, Prospero commands him with sheer anger and contempt, an aggressive form of control. Fitting between the roles of Caliban and Miranda is Ariel, Prospero's servant. Ariel, a spirit who is never assigned a gender, represents the middle ground between male and female and is thus treated by Prospero with a mixture of aggressiveness and passiveness. This assertive control results in a paternalistic relationship between Prospero and Ariel. Despite these differing relationships, Prospero utilizes each and every character to reach his ultimate goal: the advancement of his political position in Milan.
There is one common aspect to all of Prospero's relationships in the play: he exploits every character, despite his attempts to hide this fact. For example, Prospero utilizes Caliban as a slave, making him cut wood:
"Hag-seed, hence! Fetch us in fuel, and be quick, thou'rt best, to answer other business--shurug'st thou, malice? If thou neglect'st, or dost unwillingly what I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps, fill all ...
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... have been felt between Prospero and Miranda, and instead accents a more symbolic father-son relationship. The coincidental assigning of gender roles to Miranda and Caliban and the lack of such on Ariel gives us a hint to either Shakespeare or Prospero's view of the male-female dichotomy. Shakespeare, through Prospero, may be trying to tell the reader that distinctions between male and female are useless and that the only reason the characterization of each "child" in the play is different is the way in which Prospero treats them, according to the same gender norms present in England at the time the play was written.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Stephen Orgel. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.
Hulme, Peter. "Prospero and Caliban." The Tempest. eds. Peter Hulme and William H. Sherman. New Your & London: Norton, 2004. pp. 233-43.
Snider, Denton J. "A review of The Tempest." The Shakespearian Drama a Commentary: The Comedies. (1890). Rpt. Scott. 320-324.
Davidson, Frank. "The Tempest: An Interpretation." In The Tempest: A Casebook. Ed. D.J. Palmer. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1968. 225.
This is presented through the emotive language of Miranda “I have suffered with those that are suffering”, through the empathy that is displayed by Miranda the violent action of Prospero on the ship that carries Antonio and the royals are demonstrated. Through this violent action Prospero demonstrates his desire to get revenge on all the people that have harmed him and his daughter. However, Prospero also commands Ariel to protect the people on board, coupled with this, the metaphor “The government I cast upon my brother and to my state grew stranger” shows that he is on the path to self-enlightenment due to his acknowledgement of his own downfall. Prospero through the order to protect the people and the use of the personal pronoun in the metaphor displays that he has identified his own role in his downfall. By accepting his role he is able to start to forgive Antonio and progress on the path to enlightenment. However, he is presented to not have reached complete self-enlightenment through his vengeful treatment of Caliban seen through the metaphor “A devil, a born devil on whose nature, nurture can never stick”. Through this metaphor, he illustrates that he
Critics have offered varying evaluations of the characters in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Some consider Prospero to be magnanimous for forgiving his enemies, for freeing Ariel from the confines of a tree, and for treating Caliban with great sympathy until the monster's attempted rape of Miranda. Others view Prospero as an oppressive colonizer and consider both Caliban and Ariel to be his innocent and mistreated subjects. In his article "Reading The Tempest," Russ McDonald argues that the new orthodox interpretation of The Tempest, "which exalts the colonized, is as narrow as the old, which idealizes and excuses the colonizer" (117). He argues that the actual status of the characters is considerably more ambiguous, and he supports his view by analyzing the rhetorical devices present in the play. However, a close examination of the various sounds disbursed throughout the work--including speech, silence, and music--tends to support a less ambiguous view of the characters. Indeed, it tends to lend support to the new orthodox view that Prospero is an oppressive colonizer, for he often threatens his enemies and servants with unpleasant sounds and demands silence from others, including his daughter.
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.
The first difference between the play and the movie “The Tempest” is; the protagonist Prospero, the Duke of Milan, is played by a female character named Prospera in the movie filmed in 2010, directed by Julie Taymor. He is a complex character in the play however the personality that Shakespeare created was slightly changed in the movie. The key point of this gender difference is to highlight the role of women’s empowerment over the last two hundred years. Taymor’s movie is making a statement on how Prospera’s power is limited for the island, she is still able to empower throughout the text sexually,...
Prospero’s Abuse of Power in The Tempest. 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.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them. Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda the ideal woman. From this perspective, The Tempest can be used to objectify the common expectations and treatment of women within the 16th and 17th Centuries and compare and contrast to those of today.
Prospero manifested to have been a caring father, and that he has taken full responsibility for her, as a proper father ought to do. On the other hand, Prospero has apparently been cautious with giving Miranda information about her past. In response to Miranda’s concerns of herself, Prospero answers; “Stay, not yet” (14, Act 1, Scene 2). “Obey, and be attentive” (15, Act 1, Scene 2), he exclaims to her in the same scene. In The Tempest, Miranda can be interpreted as a living representation of female morality. Miranda is typically viewed as completely embodying the patriarchal order of things, thinking of herself as dependent to her father. The traits that create Miranda 's femininity are the same traits that oppress her: her innocence and vulnerability are seen as the things that allow her to be manipulated by her father. Prospero 's use of Miranda as a gadget in his political revenge is expressive of the play 's sexist attitude towards women. Prospero is, to some extent, in control over her sexuality and her thoughts; According to Linley "Patriarchy 's dominance explains why so many men had such low opinions of women, treating them unsympathetically and as sex objects. " Prospero was portrayed as a patriarchal father who cared about his daughter, but he wasn 't ashamed to use her as marriage bait to get what he
During both periods, the men were the leaders and the females were their inferiors. Prospero and Miranda, the father and daughter in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, are an example of a relationship between a father and daughter in Elizabethan England, however they were slightly different from the norm of their period. Prospero had to do everything for Miranda since she had no known mother and they were on a deserted island, she was unable to go to a household of a relative, which was a commonplace during this time. Prospero is in complete control of Miranda. He raises her in his image and as nearly all fathers of his day demand 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
The play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare is a very cleverly thought out piece of work. Shakespeare very deliberately inter-relates several different forms of power during the course of the play. There is political power, shown through the plethora of political characters and their schemes, while at the same time parodied by the comic characters. The power of magic and love, and its ability to reunite and absolve also plays a major role in the play. Throughout the play, Prospero, the main character, takes great advantage of his power and authority, both properly and improperly. The epiphany of this however, is realized at the end of the play.
The Tempest, like any text, is a product of its context. It is constructed in relation to moral or ethical concerns of 17th century European Jacobean society. The resolution of conflict appears 'natural' or an inevitable consequence if regarded in relation to the concerns of its context. The resolution of conflict in this play incorporates Prospero being returned to his 'rightful' or natural position as Duke of Milan, his daughter Miranda getting married to Ferdinand, and the party returning to Milan leaving the island to the 'monster', Caliban. The resolution is a consequence of the concerns of the time, including the idea of the divine right of kings, courtly love, and colonisation.
In Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, there are two characters who appear to be polar opposites. The characters of Caliban and Ariel both play very important roles in the play. The term caliban is defined as “a brutish or brutalized man,” and the term ariel is defined as “a spirit of the air” (Dictionary). The definitions of these two characters names even show the huge difference in the two characters before readers or viewers even get to know the characters. There are also differences in how the two characters feel about the self-proclaimed king of the island, Prospero. However, regardless of their many differences the one thing that they do have in common is the fact that they are both oppressed by Prospero who has deemed himself king of the island and seek freedom.