ipl-logo

How Does Shakespeare Present Greed In The Tempest

998 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Revenge shown in the tempest

Benjamin Young Mr. Cassidy Pre-IB Advanced English 10B 6 March 2023 The Tempest Essay In The Tempest, Shakespeare utilizes Antonio to illustrate greed, ignorance, and narcissism throughout the play. In the tempest, the royal family from Milan is washed up on an island after their ship sunk at the hands of Prospero and Ariel as a form of vengeance, for the family's previous actions on him and his daughter. The island that the group washed up on, is the same island that Prospero and his daughter Miranda were banished to after Prospero’s dukedom was overruled. Throughout these events, Shakespeare illustrates the characteristics stated above, through various events throughout the play. …show more content…

The royals banished Prospero and his daughter to the island where they eventually washed up after their ship was sunk. Prospero and his daughter could have perished on the journey toward the island but Gonzalo supplied them with food and supplies to survive. While speaking with his daughter about their banishment from Milan, Prospero says “Twelve year since, Miranda, Twelve year since” (I.i 53). From this quote, you can tell that Antonio and the royal’s actions have had a large impact on him and Miranda. Antonio took over Prospero’s dukedom and banished him and his family, even though Prospero did no harm towards Antonio or the royals. The only thing Antonio wanted in this situation were things for himself (the Duke of Milan) and it illustrates his greed and narcissistic …show more content…

However, near the end of the story, Antonio finally gives up his throne as Duke of Milan to Prospero. Antonio does this to try and make up for his previous actions. Near the end of the play, everyone is together and have just met Prospero after twelve years. While this is happening, Prospero states “My dukedom of thee, which perforce, I know, Thou must restore” (I.iiiii 132 ). Prospero demands that his dukedom should be restored, and no longer be Antonio’s. Antonio gives in to the demands and grants Prospero the Dukedom of Milan which was his previous title before he was banished by the royals. Antonio agrees to this, as a way to make up for his previous actions and the harm that he has caused to Prospero and Miranda. However, For the majority of the story, Antonio is greedy, ignorant, and a narcissist. This small deed that Prospero demanded does not make up for all of the harm that Antonio caused to the people on the island and to Prospero and Miranda. Antonio nearly murdered King Alonso and Gonzalo so he could become King of Milan, overruled Prospero, and banished him and his then three-month-old daughter. After Antonio gave up his dukedom, Prospero says “Didst thou, Alonso, use me and my daughter. Thy brother was further in the act. Thou art pinched for now” (I.iiiii 72). This quote by Prospero is illustrating how Alonso and Antonio used him and his daughter to give Antonio the dukedom of

Show More
Related
358 Words | 2 Pages

Joseph Gereige Mr. Miguel English Period 2(H) 13 February 2023 In the play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, pathos is the most effective device at persuading Sebastian to murder Alonso because it allows Sebastian to imagine what he could have and it entices Sebastian to dislike his brother for being a bad king. The first reason pathos is the most effective rhetorical device for persuading Sebastian to murder Alonso is that it allows Sebastian to imagine what he could have. After all of the characters fall asleep, Antonio tries convincing Sebastian to kill Alonso to become king and tells him, ¨Methinks I can see it in thy face¨, trying to entice Sebastian into becoming King of Naples, and Antonio´s ¨strong imagination sees a crown dropping

Read More
1410 Words | 6 Pages

Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ follows Prospero’s relationship with power and control displaying the essential establishment of the Great Chain of Being controlling status within the Jacobean society of ‘The Tempest’. “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak/And peg thee in his knotty entrials till/ Thou hast howled away twelve winters” shows the peak of Prospero’s power and control through Shakesphere’s use of vivid imagery conveying the brutality of the power dynamic between Prospero and Ariel. The use of enjambment further highlights Prospero’s lengthy reign and irrational decision making showing the lengths he will go to to sustain his power and control dynamic. Prospero’s power and control has strongly influenced his art of magic, which he used throughout his reign but only understood its full effects once Ariel manipulates him, appealing to his humanity, and then using his art to gain redemption.

Read More
1265 Words | 6 Pages

Ferdinand loves Miranda but complains about Prospero’s protection of

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

Antonio’s true character was finally showing as he was true to himself despite the others telling him to harm Florence. When Antonio was finally able to ignore the others, he was able to be true to

Read More
494 Words | 2 Pages

Especially, when he is borrowing 3,000 ducats from Shylock for Bassanio and has to give up a pound of his own meat if he can 't return the loan the limit of time. Antonio is willing to sacrifice his life in the hope that Bassanio will receive happiness. Even when he heard the news that his ship might have been wrecked he tells Bassanio not worry. This is proven when Antonio says, “And for the Jew’s bond which he hath of me, Let it not enter in your mind of love”(2.8.43-4). He didn’t want Bassanio to leave when, “Turning his face, he put his hand behind him, And with affection wondrous sensible

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

Vengeance vs. Virtue The play The Tempest, by Shakespeare, explores the values of vengeance and forgiveness through the story of Prospero. The main conflict of the story is Prospero's lack of forgiveness for his brother Antonio, who stole his throne. This causes him to seek vengeance on Antonio and all his allies. Through the events of the story, it is evident that there is more value in virtue compared to vengeance.

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

Ultimately, Prospero's demonstration of virtue and remorse enabled him to regain his dukedom and reconcile with his adversaries. The moral of the story is clear: the pursuit of vengeance is a self-destructive path, while the practice of virtue is the key to personal and societal

Read More
1054 Words | 5 Pages

Shakespeare’s The Tempest explores revenge through the protagonist, Prospero. The Duke of Milan and a magician were banished to an island, home to Ariel and Caliban, a fairy and a monstrous figure. Prospero is evidently affected by the losses in his life and the isolation that he was subjected to. His grief and destitute lifestyle drive his desire for revenge when his betrayers are in the vicinity.

Read More
790 Words | 4 Pages

Colonization has had a significant and lasting impact on the world, with its effects still visible in modern times. Throughout history, colonizers have invaded and exploited the lands and resources of native populations, resulting in the oppression and displacement of countless native peoples. In The Tempest, William Shakespeare explores these topics through characters such as Caliban, who, after his mother’s death, has his island taken away from him by Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, who enslaves Caliban and uses his magical powers in the play to enact revenge on those who wronged him. Throughout The Tempest, Shakespeare indicates that Caliban is most justified in believing that he has been wronged through his experiences reflecting

Read More
1444 Words | 6 Pages

Prospero’s Magic, the Age of Death and the 1610 Anthropocene When Prospero -- the hero in William Shakespeare’s last play The Tempest -- buries his magical books near a cliff of an uninhabited island, he sings out the first song of the “Anthropocene” at the edge of the great globe. As the Duke of Milan, he and his daughter are exiled to the isolated island for 12 years, during which process he uses his magic to enslave the natives on the island, including “ a savage and deformed slave” -- Caliban (Shakespeare 3). One may argue that the master-slave relationship shows Shakespeare’s postcolonial reflection while others may think that this viewpoint takes too far from Shakespeare’s original intention. Steve Mentz, in his essay “Enter Anthropocene, c.1610,” interprets The Tempest through lenses of the 1610

Read More
756 Words | 4 Pages

Prospero played a key role in his own downfall. He, for example, failed to manage his authority. He admits enabling his brother 's treason happened because he gave him a lot of powers and neglected his own duties as the head of state as he concentrates on

Read More
2448 Words | 10 Pages

Unlike Shakespeare’s other main characters, he is much more enigmatic. In they play Prospero is portrayed as the rogue who seeks revenge on his brother Antonio for his treachery. In this Shakespearean comedy it becomes clear that Prospero is the heart of power on the island. Evidently Prospero has been wronged by his brother’s usurping which he could not control and now uses his magic as a tool for controlling the events that occur on island throughout the play. The theme of power in this play is hugely significant as it clear that the violence interrogated in this play is in relation to power and the abuse of that power by the protagonist.

Read More
1470 Words | 6 Pages

As the play begins, it seems as if the massive tempest is simply a random occurrence, catching the mariners and nobility by chance. However, as the act continues, Shakespeare reveals that the tempest was actually the work of Prospero and his ghostly servant Ariel, who stirred up the seas and set fire to the masts (1.2, 193-194). This establishes Prospero as the executor of a mess of ‘coincidences’ ranging from Ferdinand stumbling upon his daughter Miranda to King Alonso and his party walking directly into the former duke’s cell. Though Prospero may have the same control over the English language as the other characters, Caliban points to his specific source of power. He says, “… for without [his books] /

Read More
1624 Words | 7 Pages

The various ways Shakespeare dramatizes and explores power, allows us to obtain a richer impression of the theme of power in The Tempest. Government and authority both carry out important functions in the play. It is the subject of government that initiates the events in the play and it is also the foundation of the progression throughout the play. Prospero is the fundamental piece in the play concerning governance because he used to be the Duke of Milan, but loses his title to his brother Antonio when he devotes too much of his time learning magic rather than ruling his people and seeing his obligations through: “The government I cast upon my brother, [a]nd to my state grew stranger, being transported [a]nd rapt in secret studies,” (p.10). This is also the cause of Prospero and his infant

Read More
1123 Words | 5 Pages

Shakespeare’s The Tempest is often considered fiction and finds content in expressing characteristics of both the main character, Prospero and differences in the power dynamics affecting his characters. Shakespeare often uses groups of characters to emphasize the complexity of their surroundings and effects on their behavior. The overall repetition of complications faced or caused in relation to Prospero and play an enormous role in the plot, helping to develop both the his feelings and the emotional ties of others regarding him. Shakespeare also varies the diction to place emphasis on the power dynamic and relationships observed between thespians.

Read More

More about How Does Shakespeare Present Greed In The Tempest

Related Topics

Open Document