Ariel “shalt have the air at freedom,”(4.1.294) and is released from Prospero’s captivity. Prospero forgives all the characters who he had been plotting revenge against. In Act V, Scene I Prospero pledges to Ariel that he will give up his “potent art,” (5.1.59) and “drown book” (5.1.66) of magic. It is only when Prospero forgives his past enemies and Ferdinand and Miranda marry that something inherently changes in the course of the play. Compromise and UnderstandingĬompromise and understanding are more powerful than any other sort of magic or plotting. Even after Antonio’s overthrow of Prospero, Prospero’s subjugation of Ariel and Caliban, and Antonio’s unfruitful plot to kill Alonso, no character has reaped any reward. The characters’ innate greed and desire for power initiates a downspiraling chain reaction which, ultimately, is not productive for anybody. Therefore, the objective of the play is to demonstrate that Prospero’s government of the island was, in fact, weak. The plot of the play is centered around the idea of Prospero’s control over the island. While thoughts of domination and plots of murder are being planned, no character is benefiting. Draw thy sword.” (2.1.333-335) The continuous seeking of revenge and the desire for power and authority is not worthwhile in the end. Sebastian finally relents, saying “as thou got’st Milan, I’ll come by Naples. Sparked by the first displacement of Prospero, Antonio devises yet another power-hungry act of greed and suggests to Sebastian that he “sees a crown dropping upon thy head,” (2.1.230-231) or, in other words, that they should murder Alonso and usurp his kingdom. Subsequently, in Act II, Scene I, Antonio, Sebastian, Gonzalo, and Alonso are bushwhacking through the island, brooding about Ferdinand’s apparent death, when a “strange drowsiness possesses them” (2.1.219) and Ariel charms Alonso asleep, leaving Antonio and Sebastian awake. This act of overthrowing Prospero not only enrages him but evokes a determined sense of revenge, which would later incite a similar act of revenge. Prospero, “rapt in secret studies,” (1.2.95) grew more distant from his government post, while in Antonio “awaked an evil nature,” (1.2.113) which made him proceed to usurp Prospero’s dukedom, recruiting the help of Alonso, the King of Naples. Although the audience doesn’t witness Antonio’s initial overthrow of Prospero, Prospero tells Miranda all about it in a profound and very dramatic lecture in which he asks Miranda if she is paying attention three times. The play starts off with a bang and goes right into Prospero’s revenge on Antonio and his crew, conjuring up a tempest that beaches Antonio and company on Prospero’s island. Futility of Revenge and ViolenceĮxcessive scheming and revenge-taking proved to be futile in The Tempest. The Tempest proposes, through these various instances, that agreement and understanding, rather than vengeance, are more effective in accomplishing one’s own ends.
Whereas the involvement of power and authority may seem typical in the play, Shakespeare actually challenges the common deployment of the idea of power in literature. It is only when Prospero forgives Antonio, Sebastian, and Alonso, and Ferdinand and Miranda marry, that stability and rationality is restored. Ultimately, the thirst for hunger that drives all these characters ends up driving them further into the ground-the irresponsible exercise of power-and, moreover, revenge-leads to more violence and, as the characters see it, retributive justice. Once Prospero arrives on the island, he enslaves the spirit Ariel and the monster Caliban. Prospero, preoccupied with his magic, was overthrown by his brother, power-hungry Antonio. There are many power relationships between characters that shift around in the play. Throughout the play, authority and hierarchy is not only a theme but a wanton desire that pervades the characters’ minds.
Shakespeare’s The Tempest twists the common interpretation of power and authority in literature.
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