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The Tempest Human Nature Essay

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Recommended: Sketch the character of prospero in the tempest

The composer's representation of the human experience as an awareness of humanity's capacity for evil but a greater capacity for good facilitated through relationships prompts self-reflection, resulting in the rediscovery of the power of empathy as a means to liberate oneself from the past and make peace with oneself and the world. In Shakespeare's play The Tempest (1610-11), the protagonist Prospero's discovery and subsequent understanding of human nature allows him to see others' flaws and strengths reflected in himself, enabling him to forgive and release himself from the shackles of his past. Similarly, in Johnathan Teplitzky's film The Railway Man (2013), the protagonist Eric Lomax discovers that the human experience is characterised by …show more content…

Awareness of the evil of human nature is demonstrated in the recount of his life story told to Miranda, explaining how pursuit of knowledge led him to neglect his leadership duties, "I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated / To closeness and the bettering of my mind … in my false brother / Awaked an evil nature", using personification to emphasise his discovery of the dark side of human nature in his brother, like a monster that has "awaked" from a deep sleep, poised to wreak havoc on all that stands in its way. The interrupted construction "in my false brother / Awaked an evil nature" conveys a sense of urgency through fragmentation and statement compression, adding dramatic effect, thus illuminating Prospero's awareness of the evil inherent in human nature. As a foil to Antonio and Sebastian, Gonzalo exemplifies the goodness of human nature, while amplifying the manipulative, evil side of human nature that Antonio and Sebastian represent, facilitating Prospero's awareness of the duality of human nature. Through the dramatic device of Prospero tracing out a circle on the stage and speaking to the court party that enter about their actions, he praises Gonzalo, "Holy Gonzalo, honourable man", acknowledging the innate kindness of compassion of human nature. This is in contrast to his criticism of

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A decision is the thought process of choosing between two or more outcomes that may or may not have a great impact. When thoroughly pondered, living life is fundamentally based on making the best decisions. Whether or not they are great or small decision making is critical. Often times, it is the smallest decisions one can make that impact the even bigger decisions later to come. Starting from the time people wake up in the morning, the will be surrounded by the most basic decisions until they go to sleep that night.

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In addition to Caliban, Prospero's yearning for vengeance also creates internal issues for himself. After Ferdinand and Miranda announce their marriage, Prospero claims his "rejoicing / At nothing can be more," because he must "perform / Much business appertaining," (Shakespeare, 95-99). Usually, a father focuses more on his daughter getting married, however Prospero can only focus on his plans for vengeance. Some believe that the characters internal struggles were caused by the wrongdoers, and not a lack of forgiveness; however, at the end of the play, after Prospero becomes a more virtuous character, his conflicts with his brother and Caliban are resolved, clearly showing that their focus on vengeance is what caused the internal struggles.

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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

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Humans are complex creatures. Understanding human nature is difficult, but the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding helps to show what true human nature looks like. Humans are inherently evil, but that evil is hidden by societal dictates. Throughout the novel, the human societal mask is stripped away and true human nature can be seen. Society enforces rules and trends that people feel they must follow.

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