Shakespeares The Tempest Essay - 1735 Words

The Tempest raises many questions regarding the formation of authority and power. Is hierarchy understood as natural or as constructed? Also, what are the consequences when authority is usurped? This paper will attempt to answer these questions in a succinct manner using textual references to solidify its arguments. As the play progresses, Prospero constructs the hierarchy in such a way as to return things to their natural state. Any type of usurpation, whether attempted or successful, will always end up with power back in its rightful place, and most of the time with a lesson learned. The events that take place in the play are all made possible by the original usurpation against Prospero, the right Duke of Milan by Antonio, his†¦show more content†¦Antonios selfish refusal to recognize his particular place in the social and political hierarchy resulted in the overthrow of Prosperos dukedom and the consequent corruption of the natural harmony. Prospero expresses his di sdain for Antonio and his will to regain power when he says: I pray thee, mark me, -that a brother should Be so perfidious! Ââ€"he whom, next thyself, Of all the world I loved, and to him put The manage of my state; (5) So dry he was for sway, wi the King of Naples To give him annual tribute, do him homage, Subject his coronet to his crown, and bend The dukedom, yet unbowd, -alas poor Milan! Ââ€" To most ignoble stooping. (6) The first essential step that Prospero takes in order to regain his dukedom is to construct the storm (or tempest) itself. This storm, which rocks with force the very ship that Prosperos enemies are on, overturns the hierarchy on the ship. The storm at sea is instilled by Prosperos magic which permeates the actions of the characters until Act V when he removes his magicians robe. Not until then has its purpose of restoring his dukedom been accomplished. In a social and political society, the king would almost always exercise his authority over all of his subjects, but on this ship at sea he has stepped into the domain of the Ship-master and Boatswain and must now give in to their authority. These are the people who hold the kings life in their hands. The Boatswain sums it up nicely inShow MoreRelated Aime Cesaires A Tempest Clarifies Shakespeares The Tempest1683 Words   |  7 PagesCesaires A Tempest Clarifies Shakespeares The Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚   Negritude, originally a literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals, reflects an important and comprehensive reaction to the colonial situation of European colonization (Carlberg).   This movement, which influenced Africans as well as blacks around the world, specifically rejects the political, social, and moral domination of the West.  Ã‚   Leopold Senghor, Leon Damas, and Aime Cesaire are the three pioneersRead More Comparing Aime Cesaires A Tempest and Shakespeares The Tempest2940 Words   |  12 PagesComparing A Tempest and The Tempest  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare wrote The Tempest, arguably his finest work, on the eve of European colonization of the New World in 1611 (Hollander and Kermode 445-46). 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