Book Review of The Tempest By William Shakespeare
The tempest is the story of Prospero-a magician on an enchanted island
trapped with his daughter Miranda. The exiled Duke of Milan, usurped by his
brother Antonio and sent out to sea in a boat to a far off Island where he
lives with his daughter Miranda, and his two servants: Caliban; the son of the
witch Sycorax and Ariel; an airy spirit. There’s an in-depth discussion into
the morality of colonialism, including Gonzalo's Utopia, Prospero's
enslavement of Caliban. Caliban is also shown as one of the most natural
characters.
Tempest touches on two major themes:
REVENGE: Prospero wants to get revenge on his usurping brother and the
Royal Court, Ferdinand wants to woo the girl he met, Stephano and Trinculo want to get roaring
drunk, and Caliban and Ariel want to be free.
FEMINISM: One can notice male dominance and gender imbalance by having
only one major female role, Miranda. She is typically viewed as being
completely deprived of freedom by her father. Her only duty in his eyes is to
stay chaste.
The Tempest is undoubtedly a piece of theatrical artifice. The use of
imagery to emphasize the natural scene of action and the enchanted island is
mesmerizing. The use of imagery serves a much larger role than creating
atmosphere. It is a play situated between ocean and land, between magic and
realism, between the New World and the Old.
By Rebecca Gonsalves, Roll No. 25 S.Y.B.Ed
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