Tempest Power Struggles

In the play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, there are two instances of sibling power struggles present throughout this comedy, which both have common motivations. These two power struggles were those between Prospero and Antonio and also between Alonso and Sebastian, each were caused by one sibling’s desire to gain a political position. The main culprits in these power struggles are Antonio, who took his brother’s place as Duke of Milan, and Sebastian, who tried to take his brother’s place as King of Naples. Both of these men made these attempts at power due to greed, convenience, and qualification. Therefore, The Tempest featured two dominant plays for power, which were motivated by avarice, convenience, and qualification. One incentive of both of the efforts to gain power between brothers in this comedy was greed. One quote from the play that supports this is when Antonio is trying to convince Sebastian to kill Alonso, during which he references how he became Duke of Milan. “And look how well my garments sit upon me, much feater than before…”(28). This quote shows one benefit that Antonio received from usurping his brother, which would be improved apparel and status. These are just some of the

It can be seen in the play when Antonio points it out to Sebastian when he is trying to get Sebastian to kill Alonso. “There be that can rule Naples as well as he that sleeps; Lords that can prate as amply and unnecessarily as this Gonzalo”(28). This quote indicates that Sebastian, as well as others, could be a better king than Alonso, which would be another good reason to kill him in order to be king. Without qualification, the conspirators would not have likely been as inclined to usurp the authority of their siblings since they would not have been as confident in their cause. Ergo, the power struggles between the siblings are affected by the feeling of