In the opening scene of The Tempest there
is not only a sinking ship but a dissolving society. The boat which contains
people who usurped Prospero’s dukedom of Milan twelve years ago, is washed
ashore by Prospero’s magic. Unaware of the fact that they are brought to this
strange island, full of witches, spirits and supernatural beings, to pay for
what they have done, they continue assuming the roles that hierarchy imposes on
them. In the rest of the play, the characters thus appear to be taking their
appropriate places in a new kind of social order. Yet, each one tries to
exhibit his/her ideal society. Fir instance, at one point, Prospero neglects
his duties as “Duke of Milan” which encourages his enemies to cast him adrift
on a bark with his daughter Miranda; however, he later becomes a father-like
figure to every creature on the island. On the other hand, Sebastian plots to
become King of Naples by murdering Alonso. In between comes Stephano, whose
ambition to be the king of island is ridiculous through Caliban’s
mock-resemblance of Prospero’s authority, and Gonzalo who dreams of a primitive
golden age of equality and leisure but simple and honest, full of good nature
and good will like himself.
The play begins in the
middle of disorder. There is disorder not only among the members of society but
in nature. Shakespeare makes use of the themes of the attempt of the human
beings to restore order and the use and abuse of power in The Tempest.
The boatswain, who comes to life in a few lines, dominates the first scene and
exemplifies the superiority of personal character to social rank. Authority
varies according to the circumstances. In the sinking ship the boatswain is the
king, thus the leader whom each person regardless of social status should obey,
Gonzalo has a different view of authority and kingship even in the most
desperate position. He recommends to be more passionate and insists on the
existence of the King on the board: “Good, yet remember whom thou hast abroad.”
The boatswain’s response to this asserts the theme of the play which relates to
every individual in the play: “... use your authority. If you cannot, give
thanks you have lived so long and make yourself ready in your cabin for the
mischance of the hour, if it so hap.” (I, i, 17-23)
The
sixteenth century principle of hierarchy – master and slave, king and subject,
higher powers and lower powers – continues to exist in this magical island.
Prospero, with his ability to control the elements, human beings and
supernatural powers, is the ruler of the enchanted island. In fact, his power
is more than that of a god. Caliban says: “His art is of such pow’r / It would
control my dam’s god, Setebos, / And make a vassal of him.” (I, i, 372-73) Yet
this aged magician performs “white” magic. He is a tempest raiser. Nonetheless,
courage and determinedness are required of all magicians, white or black, as
the spirits as well as the human beings, they control are both reluctant and
malignant. Prospero determines to take his revenge and waits till the
appropriate day comes. In the meantime, he brings Ariel and Caliban under his
control. Caliban, the deformed, half-human slave of Prospero symbolizes the
primitive urges. He plans to murder Prospero, with Stephano and Trinculo,
pretending to be the leader of the group. He even offers Miranda’s hand to
Stephano: “Ay, lord. She will become thy bed, I warrant, / And bring thee forth
brave brood.” (III, ii, 101-2)
Caliban accepts Stephano as his new
master, and Stephano calls him “servant monster.” In fact, Stephano becomes the
real monster and even slave to Caliban, who plots everything and imposes the
idea that they should destroy Prospero’s books first for “without them he’s but
a sot.” (III, ii, 89-90)
Prospero’s
talents lack political insight. As he claims he gives the management of the
state to his brother: “The government I cast open my brother / And to my state
grew stronger, being transported / And rapt in secret studies.” (I, ii, 75-6)
The master, in spite of his learning, talents and magical books is mortal and
human, and also fallible. He lacks the qualities of a charismatic politician
and neglects his job at the cost of losing this dukedom. Moreover, throughout
the play Ariel, Miranda and Gonzalo are presented as essential to Prospero’s
effectiveness. Ariel represents Prospero’s finer nature. He is on the side of
reason. Miranda represents the sensitive part, who helps Prospero to endure in
his hardest times as Prospero himself declares:
Thou wast that did preserve me! Thou
didst smile,
Infused with a fortitude from
heaven,
When I have decked the sea with
drops full salt,
Under my burden groaned: which raised in me
An undergoing stomach, to bear up
Against what should ensue.
(I, ii, 153-58)
The
kindliness and good heartedness of Gonzalo is mocked by everybody in the first
scene of Act II. However, he does a great favor to Prospero by providing him
with supplies and his books. Thus, Prospero and Miranda overcome the difficulty
of coming to this island unprepared. When Gonzalo persists in his attempt of
the order of hierarchy by saying the boatswain should not forget who is on the
board his conservative ideas about power and authority are revealed. The
boatswain’s answer is more devastating than Gonzalo’s statement: “You’re
counsellor; if you can command these elemnts to / Silence and work at peace of
the present, we will not hand a rope more.” (I, i, 19-20) Gonzalo’s inability
to alter the situation, in spite of his “authority” reminds the reader of the
power of Prospero. As a “counsellor” Gonzalo provides no solution to the
problems of reality which emphasizes his powerlessness as a statesman. Due to
similar reasons of inability to make use or abuse of the power as a statesman, Prospero
ends up living in exile for twelve years – a period enough to cultivate ideas
of vengeance – on a strange island, “where man doth not inhabit,” (III, iii,
57) as Ariel tells. Ariel, on the other hand, has a unique place among the
three quintessential components of Prospero. Without the aid and support of a
spirit like Ariel, Prospero would not actualize his thoughts of punishing his
oppressors. Nevertheless, Prospero’s arrogance in his treatment of subordinates
is observed in his treatment of Ariel, too. He freed Ariel from the pine in
which he is imprisoned by Sycorax. For that act of charity Ariel has served
Prospero for twelve years. In spite of his acknowledged promise Prospero delays
Ariel’s freedom and through rhetoric he persuades him that he is still the
master. His treatment of Ariel changes in a negative way when Ariel reminds him
of his promise. He threatens Ariel to keep him in an oak for “twelve winters”
which brings him closer to Sycorax whom he outcasts as a “damned witch.” Thus,
he decides to remind Ariel of what he has been and what he is, once a month, as
he says:
I
must
Once in a month recount what thou
hast been,
Which thou forget’st. This damned
witch Sycorax,
For mischiefs manifold, and
sorceries terrible
To enter human fearing, from Argier,
Thou know’st, was banished.
(I, ii,
262-66)
Prospero’s treatment of Caliban is another
example of his arrogance. Although Caliban is “a devil, a born devil, on whose
nature / Nurture can never stick” Prospero learns from Caliban. Shakespeare
intends to show that man can also learn from his passions by creating a
character called Caliban. The play deals with Prospero’s becoming a reasonable
man, thus he learns how to treat his lesser selves. Despite his evil nature,
Caliban becomes “a most ridiculous monster,” (II, ii, 161) to use Trinculos
words; yet, memorable and vivid he becomes as important as any character in the
play.
From the very early scenes
in the play Prospero assumes a role that is beyond the capacity of a human
being, even that of a mortal who is furnished with magical powers. Prospero,
the magician brings the “three men of sin” to the island, but Prospero, the man
has to decide whether he should punish the sinners or to forgive them. The
comic movement of the two lovers -- Ferdinand and Miranda, the two innocent
characters of the play – towards marriage and consummation adds to prospero’s
advance. Ferdinand first appears through the harmonious music of Ariel in Act
I, scene ii. Prospero deliberately delays the consummation of the two lovers,
as he wants to give time to them to know whether they truly love each other or
not. In Ferdinand’s case too, he changes one form of freedom into another, just
like he does to Ariel. Ferdinand is given
the task of making log files and Miranda in her simplicity of expression
and feeling wishes to help him. She utters the following words which rejoice
Prospero, who watches the scene as a witness:
This is the third man that e’er I
saw; the first
That e’er I sighed for. Pity move my
father
To be inclined my way!
(I,
ii, 445-47)
Prospero’s
powers mentioned above function in collaboration with his concept of time,
which is in fact Shakespeare’s concept of time. Prospero’s triumph must be on
that day, not later and not earlier. He asks Ariel “What time o’ th’ day” is
and Ariel casually replies: “Past the mid season.” (I, ii, 238-39) Prospero has
waited for the right day for years and deliberately delays Ariel’s freedom as
well as the consummation of the young couple. This idea of waiting for the
right time goes parallel with Shakespeare’s idea of treating life
paradoxically. For that reason, in the final act through Miranda’s words
Shakespeare makes an optimistic remark about the members of society, who are
portrayed as decaying in the opening scene:
How many goodly creatures are there
here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave
new world
That has such people in’t!
(V,
i, 181-83)
The tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning as stated in the first stage
direction of the play lead to the pleasent scene, where Ferdinand and Miranda
pledge their hearts and hands in Act V. Prospero’s act of forgiveness
reinforces Shakespeare’s aim of regaining order and having the characters tahe
their appropriate places in a new kind of social order. Finally, Prospero makes
up his mind about whether to use his authority constructively or destructively.
He does not choose the either way but forgives the sinners. Although Prospero
has the power he prefers not to use it and the change in him is completed as he
manages to temper his passion with reason. Thus, he justifies Shakespeare’s
ideas on power, authority and judgement which are best expressed in Sonnet 94:
They that have pow’r to hurt and
will do none,
They do not do the thing they most
do show,
Who, moving others, are themselves
as stone;
They rightly do inherit heaven’s
graces
And husband nature’s riches from
expense;
They are the lords adn the owner of
their faces,
Other but stewards of their
excellence.
The summer’s flow’r is to the summer
sweet,
Though to itself it only live and
die;
But if that flow’r with base
infection meet,
The basest weed outbraves his
dignity:
For
sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;
Lilies
that fester smell for worse than weeds.
The
first two lines of this sonnet point out the same idea that people who have
power to hurt others, but do not use their powers possess “heaven’s graces.”
Lines seven and eight emphasize the relationship between the rulers and the
subjects, more directly. The true aristocrats, lords and masters are the men
who do not abuse their powers. They are the “true owners of their faces” and
their might, who justly inherit God’s grace. Others end up being servants.
Shakespeare talks about the rulers and the subjects in terms of authority and
human psychology, in Sonnet 94. By introducing the flower imagery Shakespeare
deals with the transitory nature of the living things, as the summer’s flower
blossoms beautifully although it knows that one day it will fade away. In the
final couplet Shakespeare goes back to his primary idea that “the sweetest
things turn sourest by their deeds.” Even the weed smells better than a beautiful
flower such as lily, if the liky festers and stinks.
The
final scene of the play is full of joyous action and conversation which result
from Prospero’s forgiveness. Certainly, it is a noble manner of Prospero to
forgive his enemies, but it is especially appreciated that he comes to terms
with Caliban and says: “This thing of darkness
acknowledge mine.” (V, i, 275-76) This statement of Prospero together
with Caliban’s last words bring the essence of the play, which tries to show
what piece pf work is a man and what he is capable of. Even Caliban is able to
develop and learn from his faults:
I will be wiser hereafter,
And
seek for grace. What a thrice double ass
Was
I to take this drunkard for a god
And
worship this dull fool!
(V,
i, 285-98)
Works Cited
Harbage, Alfred, ed. William
Shakespeare: The Complete Works. New York: The Viking Press, 1986. Print.
Written by Dr. Gul Kurtulus
Bilkent University,
Department of English Language and Literature
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