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The Struggle For Power In Shakespeare's The Tempest

757 Words4 Pages

People tend to always want to be in control and have power over everything, but when evil sets in it becomes a tragic story just like "The Tempest". In the play "The Tempest", written by William Shakespeare, tells a story about struggle for power. A terrible storm wrecks a ship on what is thought to be a deserted island. On this island there are several people who do not discover each other till the end. In the midst of all of the chaos that is approaching, Prospero, knows everyone who is in the island. Prospero and his spirit Ariel find things out and use it against everyone in the end so Prospero can look like the hero. At this point, Prospero is left with the decision to keep tricking everyone or to just bring them together and seek revenge. Throughout this play there are many events and actions put into the setting to understand the theme, struggle for power. Whether it's servants trying to take over or kings and duckies seeking their revenge. Shakespeare uses …show more content…

Many of these characters think one another are dead like everyone thinks that King Alonso and the kings son Ferdinand are dead. "Since you've given my dukedom back to me, I'll give you something equally nice, or at least I'll give you an amazement to satisfy you..." Prospero comes into the play knowing everyone on the island and on the ship. Prospero acts like Ferdinand is dead when he is really with Miranda playing chess. King Alonso soon then believes his son is dead lying in mud at the bottom of the ocean. Sometimes people trick each other by thinking someone has left, moved, or quit just to have the higher spot for the day. No matter the placement of the job they all strive to be better than another. If they are just a sales manager, the person who takes calls, someone who sits in meetings, or anything that's better than the job they have now in the company they strive to be

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In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth believes he will be king. The power he thinks he will have causes him to kill the people who stand in his way Of fulfilling his destiny. The Spiderman quote “With power comes great responsibility,” relates to the theme of Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Macbeth and the actor Lindsay Lohan, share the trait that people with power often abuse it, corruption is frequently the result of responsibility to great for one person.

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Theme Of Vengeance In The Tempest

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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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Of Prospero's Magic, The Age Of Death In The Tempest

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Power is often the root at which conflicts begin. As those on the bottom attempt to gain power and those at the top of the power dynamic attempt to consistently degrade those below them to prevent them from gaining influence. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the surprise, seemingly societally transcendent, ability for Othello to gain power and Othello to be able to marry Desdemona, is immediately followed by those in power trying to relieve Othello of his role in society, leading Othello to even attempt to exert his own power. The powerful men of Othello attempt to destroy and subjugate the lives of others to prevent them from advancing and maintaining power.

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Theme Of Civilization In The Tempest

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The Theme of Nature and Civilization in The Tempest The Tempest, written by William Shakespeare, mostly takes place on a magical island Prospero got exiled to, but it shows a clear divide between nature and civilization. The play starts with Prospero and Miranda living in exile, and through this play, Prospero tries to go back to Milan, where he used to be the duke. When Alonso, the king of Naples, Antonio, the usurping Duke of Milan, and other nobles are caught in the tempest and arrive on the island, they soon realize that the traditions and rules that are applied in the man’s world do not exist on the island, where everything is natural. Although the wildness and civilization have a clear divide, the play shows a theme of different nature, which is the characters’ identities. Even though physical nature cannot be civilized, it can help humans to recognize their nature.

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The Tempest can be seen as a play about reconciliation, forgiveness, and mercy. However, while it is clear that the theme of forgiveness is at the heart of the drama, it is unclear to what extent mercy is given. An examination of Caliban and Ariel and their representations of Prospero’s struggle illustrates that there is little, if any, true forgiveness and reconciliation in The Tempest. Prospero’s actions from the beginning of the play seem to contradict his ultimate aim to forgive those of have wronged him. Prospero seizes the opportunity for revenge with the help of his magic and good fortune.

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The Battle Between Good And Evil In Shakespeare's Othello

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Shakespeare’s ability to illustrate the battle between good and evil is arguably one of his best skills as a writer. Incorporating the art of the morality play, he shows the battle of these two forces for a man’s soul. But the beauty of his writing comes to light in how he shows this process. In both Macbeth and Othello, Shakespeare portrays evil as corrupting, while the source of evil differs.

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Violence In The Tempest

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Evidently Antonio’s wish was to have Prospero and his daughter killed however they were saved by Gonzalo a trustful councilor who set them up for a prosperous life on the island. It becomes clear that the violence in this play caused by Prospero was brought upon him and is therefore influenced by his brother’s treatment towards him, again we see that the need for power overpowers the love between the two brothers and later leads to a series of psychological torture for other

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Power In The Tempest

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] /

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1555 Words | 7 Pages

The Tempest is a play where a man named, Prospero, was a former duke of a land. He was exiled to an island because his brother, Antonio, usurped his dukedom. Prospero lives on the island with his daughter, Miranda attempting to reattain his title of duke. There are many causes of social issues, and it is important to view these issues on how they affect others.

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1624 Words | 7 Pages

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1123 Words | 5 Pages

In comparison, the inconsistency between diction depicts the power dynamics observed in the play. Shakespeare often uses Prospero’s servant, Ariel and slave, Caliban to portray the differences in the hierarchy of the play. As observed by the audience Prospero often uses threats and insults to communicate and assign task to Caliban, hence “...tonight thou shalt have cramps, side stitches that shall pen thy breath up. ”(I.ii.325-326) Prospero threatens Caliban with pain after his refusal to do work, because he feels as if the isle belongs to him due to the fact that it was inhabited by his mother first.

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