revenge in the tempest essay

Go back to the Shakespeare page for more texts and other resources.

The Path of Forgiveness in the Tempest

In the Tempest, Prospero's initial desire to wreak revenge upon his enemies through insanity brought on by guilt is eventually overridden by his realization that he really desires reconciliation, which he will only achieve through forgiveness.

Revenge is one of the strongest and at the same time most disapproved of emotions. Almost everyone has at some point in their life been so deeply hurt by another that they desired some type of vengeance. However, most of us are able to keep these impulses for revenge in check, understanding that although our passions may run high, there are far more ?constructive? ways to handle the situation. But why is that? What?s meant by ?acting constructively?? Why shouldn?t someone pay for the pain they have caused you? Why (in the condescending logic most often used against revenge) must you be the ?bigger? person? Hey, if they were mean or stupid enough to mess with you, isn?t it your right to give them what they?ve got coming? William Shakespeare?s play, The Tempest deals with many of these questions through its main character, Prospero. Twelve years before the play begins, Prospero?s brother Antonio usurped Prospero?s throne, and with the help of Alonso and Sebastian, the king of Naples and his brother, put Prospero and his young daughter on a boat to die. Now after all these years, Prospero?s betrayers are near the island, giving Prospero the perfect opportunity to mete out revenge. However, Prospero?s initial desire to wreak revenge upon his enemies through insanity brought on by guilt is eventually overridden by his realization that he really desires reconciliation, which he will only achieve through forgiveness. Prospero obviously begins the play with thoughts of revenge, a revenge of mental anguish. After he creates the sea-storm Prospero explains to Miranda what Antonio, Alonso, and Sebastian had done to him. When, Miranda inquires about his reason for causing them to become shipwrecked, he replies, ?By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune/?hath mine enemies/ Brought to this shore?(1.2.213-215). Here Prospero displays that he has decided that since his enemies are so close, he must take this opportunity to shipwreck them and enact his revenge. Propsero has had his revenge planned from the start, which explains why when Prospero?s spirit, Ariel, reports about the shipwreck, he takes care to explain, ? Not a hair perished/ On their sustaining garments not a blemish/ But fresher than before?as thou bad?st me? (1.2.259-260). Prospero had obviously given his servant strict orders not to harm these people. This is because Prospero?s revenge plan necessitates the survival of these men. Prospero?s plan for revenge is to make his three enemies go insane with guilt for their betrayal of him and the suffering they caused. This plan becomes exceptionally evident once Ariel, in the guise of a Harpy, begins to weave a spell around Antonio, Alonso, and Sebastian. She tells them that that they are being punished because,? you three/ From Milan did supplant good Prospero/ Exposed unto the sea? (3.3.87-89). For this betrayal they will suffer, ?Ling?ring perdition, worse than any death/ . . . /Upon your head- is nothing but heart?s sorrow? (3.3.95-100). Gonzolo, the rare moral man, watching the whole ordeal comments, ?All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt,/ Like poison given to work a great time after,/ Now ?gins to bite the spirits??(3.3.127-129). It is thus the regret and guilt these men feel for the acts they committed against Prospero that cause them to go insane. Watching this exchange, Prospero is pleased, and remarks, ?And these mine enemies are all knit up/ In their distractions. They are now in my power/ And in these fits ??(3.3.109-111). Here again, Prospero?s scheme for revenge is evident. From the beginning of the play, Prosepero has had a master plan for his vengeance- to make his enemies go mad with remorse and shame. However, right when Prospero?s plans come to full bloom, he finds himself of a different mind from when he began his revenge. Hearing how Gonzolo is moved by their sadness, Prospero states: Though with their high wrongs I am struck to th? quick Yet with my nobler reason ?gainst my fury Do I take part. The rarer action is In virtue than in vengeance. . . My charm?s I?ll break, their senses I?ll restore. 5.1.32-36 Here, it is evident that Prospero has changed his mind about his plan for vengeance. He realizes that his passion and fury were urging him towards revenge. He decides that it is not worth the loss of his noble traits and honor in order satisfy this desire. Prospero realizes that what he in fact seeks is not revenge, but reconciliation, which is only attainable through forgiveness. This is why Prospero says to the three men, ?I do forgive thee? (5.1.98). This path to reconciliation does not work with all of them, but it does works with Alonso, for he replies to Prospero, saying, ?[I] do entreat/ thou pardon me my wrongs? (5.1.130-131). Thus, in the end, Prospero gives up on his revenge because he decides it is not what he is really looking for, instead he is seeking some sort of reconciliation. So what does all this verbiage on revenge and forgiveness boil down to? Prospero?s actions are ones everyone has at some point envisioned in one form or another. The thought of that vengeance often feels so much better than the thought of exchanging the both banal and empty I?m sorry?s and I forgive you?s that are often the conclusion of such situations In this play, we see Prospero begin down one path- revenge- and then switch to the other- reconciliation. However, his final efforts towards forgiveness end up in two places. With Alonso, Prospero ends up reconciled. The words are on the page, but the why of the exchange is left ambiguous. But why does anyone choose reconciliation over revenge, forgiveness over grudges? Do they reconcile for their own closure? To maintain their dignity and honor? Or is it as simple as this: they are unwilling to give up on the parts of their friendship that used to be so important, that held them so close. However, the flip side of this story is the final dynamic left between Prospero and Antonio. Antonio, in the end, refuses to say anything at all to Prospero. The play ends, and we are left wondering what is going on in Antonio?s head. Is he just such a hate-filled man that cannot bear the thought of apologizing? Does he feel Prospero?s revenge was so harsh as to be unforgivable? Does he not really care to put the effort into the relationship that mending it would entail? Whatever his reason?s, we deeply feel the void of Antonio?s silence. The void created when someone reaches out a hand, and you turn away.

Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 26, 2020 • ( 1 )

Many commentators agree in the belief that The Tempest is the last creation of Shakespeare. I will readily believe it. There is in The Tempest the solemn tone of a testament. It might be said that, before his death, the poet, in this epopee of the ideal, had designed a codicil for the Future. . . . The Tempest is the supreme denouement, dreamed by Shakespeare, for the bloody drama of Genesis. It is the expiation of the primordial crime. The region whither it transports us is the enchanted land where the sentence of damnation is absolved by clemency, and where reconciliation is ensured by amnesty to the fratricide. And, at the close of the piece, when the poet, touched by emotion, throws Antonio into the arms of Prospero, he has made Cain pardoned by Abel.

—Victor Hugo , Oeuvres complètes de Shakespeare

It is inevitable, given the position of The Tempest as William Shakespeare’s final solo dramatic work, to hear in Prospero’s epilogue to the play, Shakespeare’s farewell to his audience:

Now my charms are all o’erthrown, And what strength I have’s mine own, Which is most faint. . . . . . Now I want Spirits to enforce, art to enchant; And my ending is despair Unless I be relieved by prayer, Which pierces so, that it assaults Mercy itself, and frees all faults. As you from crimes would pardoned be, Let your indulgence set me free.

Prospero bows out on a note of forgiveness, the tone that finally rules the play along with an affirmation in the essential goodness of humanity. It has been tempting, therefore, to view Prospero’s sentiment and his play as Shakespeare’s last word, his summation of a career and a philosophy, what critic Gary Taylor has called “the valedictory culmination of Shakespeare’s life work.” First performed at court on November 1, 1611, before the playwright’s exit to Stratford, The Tempest , however, is technically neither Shakespeare’s finale nor requiem. Two years later Shakespeare was back in London, collaborating with John Fletcher on The Two Noble Kinsmen, Henry VIII, and the lost play Cardenio. As intriguing as the biographical reading is, it is only one of The Tempest ’s multiple layers of meaning and significance. Called by critic T. M. Parrot, “perhaps the best loved of all Shakespeare’s plays,” and by William Hazlitt as among the “most original and perfect of Shakespeare’s productions,” The Tempest continues to be one of the most performed and interpreted plays in the canon, generating (and withstanding) autobiographical, allegorical, religious, metaphysical, and more recently postcolonial readings. The play’s central figure has likewise shifted from Prospero, who fascinated the romantics, to Miranda, who has claimed the attention of feminists, to Caliban, who is exhibit A in the reading of the play as “a veritable document of early Anglo-American history,” according to writer Sydney Lee, containing “the whole history of imperialist America,” as stated by critic Leslie Fiedler. The Tempest has served as a poetic treasure trove and springboard for other writers, with allusions detectable in John Milton’s Comus , T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, W. H. Auden’s The Sea and the Mirror, and countless other works. Based on its popularity, persistence, and universality, The Tempest remains one of the richest and most fascinating of Shakespeare’s plays.

The Tempest is a composite work with elements derived from multiple sources. Montaigne’s essay “On Cannibals,” whose romantic primitivism is satirized in Gonzalo’s plan for organizing society on Prospero’s island in the second act, is a possible source. So, too, are a German play, Comedy of the Beautiful Sidea, by Jacob Ayrer, about a magician prince whose only daughter falls in love with the son of his enemy, and several Italian commedia dell’arte pastoral tragicomedies set on remote islands and featuring benevolent magicians. Accounts of the Sea-Venture, the ship sent to Virginia to bolster John Smith’s colony that was wrecked on the coast of Bermuda in 1609, may have furnished Shakespeare with some of the details for the play’s opening storm. However, the most substantial borrowing for the plot of The Tempest comes from Shakespeare’s own previous plays, so much so, that scholar Stephen Greenblatt has described The Tempest as “a kind of echo chamber of Shakespearean motifs.” The complications following a shipwreck revisits Twelfth Night ; the relocation of court society to the wilderness is featured in As You Like It and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which also employs spirits and the supernatural to teach lessons and settle scores. The backstory of The Tempest —Prospero, the former duke of Milan, usurped by his brother—recalls Hamlet and King Lear . Miranda’s being raised in ignorance of her past and status as well as the debate between nature and nurture echo Pericles and The Winter’s Tale. Like both, The Tempest mixes light and dark, tragic and comic elements, yet compared to their baroque complexity, the shortest of Shakespeare’s plays after Macbeth obeys the Aristotelian unities of place and time (the only other Shakespearean play to do so is The Comedy of Errors ), with its action confined to Prospero’s island, taking place over a period roughly corresponding to its performance time.

The Tempest begins with one of the most spectacular scenes in all of Shakespeare: the storm at sea that threatens the vessel whose passengers include King Alonso of Naples, his son Ferdinand, and Prospero’s hated brother Antonio, the usurping duke of Milan. Their life-and-death struggle enacted on stage is subjected to a double focus as Prospero reassures his daughter, Miranda, distraught over the fate of the passengers and crew, that he controls the tempest and that their danger is an illusion. The disaster, which he calls a “spectacle,” is artifice, and the play establishes an analogy between Prospero’s magic and the theatrical sleight of hand that initially seemed so realistic and thrilling. Prospero stands in for the artist here: Both magician and playwrights are conjurors, able to manipulate nature and make others believe in a reality without substance. The contrast between illusion and reality will be sounded throughout the play, suggesting that The Tempest is a metadrama: a play about playwriting and the power and limitations of the imagination. Prospero finally tells his daughter how they arrived on the island; how his brother, Antonio, joined in a conspiracy with Alonso to usurp his place as duke of Milan; how 12 years before Prospero and Miranda were set adrift at sea, provisioned only by a compassionate Neapolitan, Gonzalo. Friend and foes, aboard the vessel Prospero has seemed to wreck, are now under his control on the island where Prospero intends to exact his vengeance. Prospero, therefore, will use his long-studied magical arts to stage a reckoning for past offenses. The play proceeds under Prospero’s direction with a cast that either cooperates or complicates his intentions. Serving him are the ethereal Ariel, whom Prospero promises to free after completing his bidding, and the contrasting earthly and brutish Caliban, a witch’s son, whom Prospero says he has “us’d thee / (Filth as thou art) with human care, and lodg’d thee / In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate / The honor of my child.” Prospero, therefore, controls symbols of both sides of human nature: aspects of the imagination and fancy and baser instincts that come in conflict on the island as the play progresses.

As playwright Prospero must juggle three subplots: Miranda’s relationship with Ferdinand, the son of Alonso, who mourns his loss at sea; the plotting of Prospero’s brother, Antonio, and the king’s brother, Sebastian, to murder Alonso and seize his throne; and Caliban’s alliance with the jester Trinculo and butler Stefano to kill Prospero and reign in his stead. The first goes so well—Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love at first sight—that Prospero tests Ferdinand’s fidelity by appearing to punish him by making him his servant. Ferdinand, however, proves his devotion by gladly accepting his humiliation to be near Miranda. Prospero ends Ferdinand’s penance and testing in the first scene of act 4, declaring: “All thy vexations / Were but my trials of thy love, and thou / Hast strangely stood the test.” To seal the nuptial vows a ritual masque is performed by various mythological goddesses and pastoral figures. In the midst of the dance Prospero stops the performance to deliver one of the most celebrated speeches in all of Shakespeare’s plays:

Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and Are melted into air, into thin air; And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on; and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.

Jaques in As You Like It asserted “All the world’s a stage,” and Macbeth described life as “a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage.” Prospero’s speech suggests the transience of both human life and art, with its reference to “the great globe,” the name of Shakespeare’s theater, that, along with towers, palaces, and temples, “shall dissolve . . . like this insubstantial pageant.”

Made aware by Ariel of Caliban’s conspiracy with Trinculo and Stefano, Prospero distracts them from their purpose of murder by rich attire, which Trinculo and Stefano put on before being set upon by spirits. Their comic rebellion is matched by the more serious plot of Antonio and Sebastian to kill Alonso. An assassination attempt is halted by the appearance of spirits providing a banquet for the hungry men. Just as they try to satisfy their hunger the food disappears, replaced by Ariel, “like a harpy,” who accuses Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio of their crimes against Prospero and delivers their sentences:

. . . But remember, For that’s my business to you, that you three From Milan did supplant good Prospero; Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it ,Him, and his innocent child; for which foul deed The powers, delaying not forgetting, have Incensed the seas and shores, yea, all the creatures, Against your peace. Thee of thy son, Alonso, They have bereft; and do pronounce by me Ling’ring perdition, worse than any death Can be at once, shall step by step attend You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from— Which here, in this most desolate isle, else fall sUpon your heads—is nothing but heart’s sorrow, And a clear life ensuing.

Prospero, approving of Ariel’s performance, declares, “They now are in my pow’r,” and the play turns on how he will decide to use that power.

At the start of the fifth act Prospero announces the climax of his plan: “Now does my project gather to a head,” with his victims now imprisoned to confront their guilt and fate. It is Ariel who shifts Prospero from vengeance to forgiveness by saying, “Your charm so strongly works ’em / That if you now beheld them your affections / Would become tender.” Ariel’s suggestion of what should be the reaction to human suffering shames Prospero into compassion:

Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling Of their afflictions, and shall not myself, One of their kind, that relish all as sharply, Passion as they, be kindlier moved than thou art? Though with their high wrongs I am struck to th’ quick, Yet with my nobler reason ’gainst my fury Do I take part. The rarer action is In virtue than in vengeance. They being penitent, The sole drift of my purpose doth extend Not a frown further. Go release them, Ariel; My charms I’ll break, their senses I’ll restore, And they shall be themselves.

Prospero turns away from revenge and the pursuit of power that had formerly ruled the destinies of so many Shakespearean heroes, including Hamlet, Macbeth , and many more. Prospero changes the plot of his play at its climax and then turns away from his art to reenter the human community:

. . . But this rough magic I here abjure. And, when I have required Some heavenly music—which even now I do— To work mine end upon their senses that This airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff, Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound I’ll drown my book.

The end of Prospero’s plot, his art, and the play conjoin. Ariel returns with the prisoners, and Prospero pardons all, including his brother, before reclaiming his dukedom and reuniting father and son. Miranda, overcome by so many nobles on their formerly deserted island, declares:

O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world! That has such people in’t!

Prospero, more soberly and less optimistically, responds to her words: “’Tis new to thee.” Finally, Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo are brought in. The lowly status and ridiculousness of the latter two are exposed, prompting Caliban to assert:

I’ll be wise hereafter, And seek for grace. What a thrice-double ass Was I to take this drunkard for a god, And worship this dull fool!

Having reestablished order and a harmonious future in the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand, Prospero delivers on his promise to free Ariel before turning to the audience to ask for the same compassion and forgiveness he has shown. As Prospero has released the spirit Ariel, we are asked to do the same for Prospero. We now hold the power and the art to use it as we will:

. . . Now ’tis true I must be here confined by you Or sent to Naples. Let me not ,Since I have my dukedom got, And pardoned the deceiver, dwell In this bare island by your spell; But release me from my bands With the help of your good hands.

If the play is not Shakespeare’s last will and testament, there scarcely can be a better: a play that affirms essential human goodness while acknowledging the presence of human evil, written in the full powers of the imagination, while conscious of its limitations and responsibilities.

The Tempest Oxford Lecture by Emma Smith

The Tempest Ebook PDF (1 MB)

HSC English Advanced: Textual Conversations - The Tempest and Hag-Seed

Katriel's guide to The Tempest and Hag-Seed in Module A, HSC English Advanced!

English Team

Katriel Tan and Marko Beocanin

Prospero is not the only one with magic!

If you are anything like me, dealing with Module A - Textual Conversations can seem extremely daunting at first due to the sheer fact that there is more than just ONE prescribed text, but I can promise you it gets so much easier once you properly understand the module! So, let’s get you sorted with this module, available resources and all the main things you need for Tempest x Hag-Seed, so that you can quickly work your magic on your essays!

What is a Textual Conversation?

The term ‘textual conversations’ is thrown around loosely in Module A - but what exactly does this even mean?

Well, this module is uniquely comparative, and as such involves a study between a pair of prescribed texts that directly interact with each other. This means that it’s our job to identify how the new text reshapes, amplifies, critiques, comments, resonates, reframes or challenges the values and ideas of the original. The purpose of the module is to portray how literature across time becomes a reflection of the universal values that become keystones of our humanity.

In the most simple way, you need to be noting how the two texts are different and how they resonate. Ask yourself, what ideas do they bring to the table separately, and what is it saying about the idea when the texts are studied in parallel?

As with every module in HSC English Advanced , the rubric/syllabus is your best friend . Understanding and integrating words from the rubric shows your marker that you are actually taking into consideration the purpose of the module AND NO SURPRISE HERE but a lot of essay questions come from simple manipulations of the rubric wording! In the HSC, I had printed and highlighted copies of all of the module rubrics, to help me remember how to frame each essay and just for general essay practice! It was an absolute lifesaver!

You can find all the module rubrics and other resources for HSC English here !

But, for this article, let me show you one of the main parts directly from the Module A - Textual Conversations rubric:

“They further develop skills in analysing the ways that various language concepts, for example motif, allusion and intertextuality, connect and distinguish texts and how innovating with language concepts, form and style can shape new meaning.”

Grasping how a joint study of the two texts develops a more complex and nuanced understanding of a certain concept or value is one of the key takeaways of this module!

William Shakespeare | The Tempest

Quick Plot Recap

The Tempest follows the journey of Prospero, former Duke of Milan as he is exiled to an island by his brother Antonio. Prospero uses magic to conjure a storm (a Tempest), shipwrecking Antonio and the King Alonso of Naples. He lives on the island with his daughter Miranda, a spirit named Ariel and a half-man / half-monster named Caliban. He also uses magic to manipulate Ferdinand into marrying his daughter, and results in a supernatural wedding. The resolution of the play centres on Prospero asking the audience for forgiveness and freedom.

The Tempest’s Context

The play was written in 1610 - the Renaissance Jacobean Era. The Tempest fits into the ‘Late Romance’ genre of Shakespeare’s plays as the main incidents are ‘romantic’ - artistic interpretations of events that lie out of common experience, young lovers are reunited after various trials and the exotic setting. The play tackles the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation and as such the blend between light hearted and more serious themes make the play more emotionally complex than a history or comedy.

Religion is a major influence of the play, particularly the revival of Renaissance conceptions of philosophy and other epistemological concerns. Plato’s Theory of Forms, which asserted that the physical realm is a mere imitation of a perfect conception of reality, was also a prominent influence on the characterisation of Duke Prospero. As a result, Prospero struggles with the idea that he is an imposter, merely a creature of performativity. William Shakespeare challenges the normal understandings of religion, as Prospero’s magic is a threat to the very traditional ideas of Creationism, established by the Catholic Church. This all culminates in the final soliloquy where Prospero reflects that life itself is an illusion.

Shakespeare’s individual context is not as crucial, as his play is moreso said to be shaped by contextual influences of his world at large and the royal era at the time. But it could be good to note that this play was the last written before his death in 1616.

Themes, Concepts and Ideas in The Tempest

Now, it’s important to understand that there are so so so many different themes and interpretations of the text and this is merely just to give you a good starting point to build your own deeper understanding surrounding the play. These are the top 3 main thematic tensions that arise in The Tempest:

Revenge and Forgiveness:

This theme is popular to explore using this text due to the sheer amount of textual evidence you can collect under these concepts. The whole play revolves around Prospero’s need for inner and external forgiveness and as such, raises the complex question of whether justice is better achieved through revenge or forgiveness.

The essential context here is Christian Humanism - the embodiment of the values of forgiveness, moderation, compassion and virtue.

Some quotes that are explicit to this theme:

“Yet with my nobler reason against my fury do I take part: the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance” - Prospero’s declaration (a reflection of Renaissance Humanist Thought)

“If you now beheld them / Your affections would become tender / Mine would sir, were I human” - Ariel’s plea that convinces Prospero

Human Connections:

Again, this theme is an important one to explore and can be a great gateway into making more complex observations on aspects of societal interactions. It includes both aspects of positive and negative interactions i.e. those that lend to healing or revenge plots that discourage one from forgiveness.

The connection between Prospero and Miranda is multifaceted - whilst being depicted as an object and pawn in the games and lives of other men, without her, the future is barren. Her character becomes a motif for connectedness and compassion, reminding us that life can be pure and innocent.

“O, a cherubin. Thou wast that did preserve me.” - Prospero shows that even though he feels desolate from being cast out from society, he finds strength and a guarantee for legacy in Miranda.

“I might call him a thing divine, for nothing natural I ever saw so noble” - Miranda yearns for romantic love with Ferdinand, and becomes infatuated by his aura.

This theme is based around the context of British colonisation in 1607. This sparked an ongoing colonial discussion around a Eurocentric, colonial viewpoint and ‘The Other’. This perspective dominates the Tempest as it was a concern of Shakespeare’s time. It is important to understand that ‘The Other’ is a societal concept and construction used to describe the segregation between groups of people.

This is a great theme to explore in your essays, especially due to its strong foundations in worldly context!

“The red plague rid you / For learning me your language” - Conflates colonial English with disease imagery to highlight how Caliban’s discovery by Prospero has led to his own corruption.

“What ho! Slave! Caliban!” - Prospero does not speak to him in developed sentences and as such emphasises his inferior status through these short utterances.

Looking for more HSC English Study guides? Check out Project Academy’s range of study guides , essays , study notes and more!

Margaret Atwood | Hag-Seed

Hag-seed follows the journey of Felix, the artistic director of a Theatre Festival who is betrayed and kicked out by his assistant. Following the death of his daughter twelve years ago, Felix is stricken by grief and loss, and thus isolates himself in a cabin. He spends 9 years in seclusion, imagining a life with his dead daughter Miranda. He treats her as if she is still alive and with him. He eventually then takes a job at Fletcher Correctional Institute where he directs reproductions of Shakespeare’s plays as a kind of transformational literacy program.

Margaret Atwood’s Context

Written in 2016, Hag-seed is categorised as a postmodern psychological fiction which focuses on the spiritual and emotional responses of the characters to their environments and interactions with others. Atwood’s work is a reflection of her social and moral conscience and opinions. As with many postmodern works her work is ficto-critical and experimental, balancing objective truth with subjective experience. She has also been described as proto-feminist. Comparative to Shakespeare, some of Atwood’s personal context is important to know and great to write about explicitly in your essays. For example, Atwood was involved in numerous protests in Canada against closing prison firms where inmates learned to interact and care for animals as part of their rehabilitation process. Atwood is an advocate for learning empathy and education as a means of character progression. HINT HINT! Can you think of where this piece of context would fit - as a marker, I personally love seeing this piece of context in the Tempest x Hag-seed essays as it really links to the overall purpose of her text and some of the actions of her characters :)

Atwood makes it clear that she supports a wide study of arts and a rehabilitative approach to incarceration.

Textual Conversations

You may be wondering: Kat, where are the themes, concepts and ideas for Hag-Seed as a stand-alone text?

Well…moving straight into the textual conversation actually shows you something really important about the module and the essays you write! In Module A, you are always working off of the ideas of the original text - the later text cannot possibly ever influence the original! This sounds simple, but it’s something that some students get really confused about! This is not to say that the later text can’t bring up new ideas that are completely unattached to the original, it’s just to show you that in Module A it’s much more efficient to bring up ideas that BOTH texts make reflections on.

So let’s explore Hag-seed through the lens of Shakespeare’s themes present in The Tempest !

In Hag-seed, Atwood also questions whether justice can better be achieved through seeking revenge or forgiveness, bringing to light ideas surrounding the need for reconciliation between society and the incarcerated. At a deeper level, Atwood re-asserts the Shakespearean notion of forgiveness as a mechanism to set ourselves free from the self-imposed prisons we too suffer under. In Hag-seed revenge is explicitly mentioned prominently throughout the text.

Some quotes from Felix that are from this theme:

“Suddenly revenge is so close he can actually taste it. It tastes like steak, rare” “His enemies had suffered which had been a pleasure” “Then Felix had strewn forgiveness around”

Atwood also incorporates epigraphs throughout the novel from Sir Francis Bacon, Charles Dickens and Percy Shelley that amplify the focus of the novel on the impacts of revenge.

As said before, human connections is a broad term that encapsulates all interactions between individuals and reflects the intricacies of human relationships. Yet, it is through the continuation of this theme in Hag-seed that we reveal the pure universality of such a theme and its importance across time and space. There is a paradox of dislocation and isolation - for Felix his time in the prison allows him to regain his creativity and spiritual freedom. Just like Miranda’s representation in the Tempest, she thus becomes a spiritual force in Hag-seed that encourages Felix to choose to forgive.

Some quotes from this theme:

“It’s as if they were made for each other like a pair of ice-dance champions” - Anne Marie and Freddie have a connection that mirrors Miranda and Ferdinand’s

“Getting back into the world, re-engaging with people - he hoped it would ground him” - As he deals with feelings of loss, grief and betrayal, Felix re-connects with his previous love of theatre.

Comparatively, in Hag-seed , the Other is not only explored from a colonial perspective, but more generally in regards to how humanity creates arbitrary divides and sees groups of individuals as an ‘Other’. This is amplified by Atwood’s explicit use of prisoners and the unsettling context of a prison, showing the immense casting out of individuals deemed ‘inaccessible’ to us. The Prisoners thus become the Other and are comparable to Caliban.

“She clearly had a vision of Felix laying on the floor with a homemade shiv sticking out of his neck.” - Off-handed comments suggest that the inmates are less human and are merely dangerous individuals.

“Why should the other ones get a second chance at life, but not him?” - Rhetorical question which prompts introspection on how inmates are just as worthy in starting again and gaining redemption.

So there you have it! Notes and a great starting foundation for your Shakespeare and Atwood Tempest x Hag-seed essays! Hopefully this helps you out and clears up any confusion you have surrounding the module and HSC English Advanced! You got this! Keep writing and reviewing ! :)

Maximise Your Chances Of Coming First At School

Trial any Project Academy course for 3 weeks.

NSW's Top 1% Tutors

Unlimited Tutorials

NSW's Most Effective Courses

Access to Project's iPad

Access to Exclusive Resources

Access to Project's Study Space

Ultimate Guide To Getting A Co-Op Scholarship Offer

This is a summary of the best tips, tricks and techniques accumulated over...

Project Academy

TEAM OF ACADEMIC ADVISORS

Module B: King Henry IV Breakdown - Critical Study of Literature

King Henry IV, Part 1 context, concepts and cheatsheet with Katriel Tan!

Deeper Dive: HSC Economics Topic 2 Australia's Place in the Global Economy

Bored of Economics? Come read my article where I explore the depths of topic 2!

Xerxes Lopes

All-Rounder & 99.65 ATAR

Exam Preparation: The Mental Preparation

What most exam guides miss, and what most students cannot observe, is the hidden mental preparation high performers go through to fully prepare for an exam.

Anna Pahlman

99.25 ATAR & ALL-ROUNDER

Jan 23, 2021

CSEC English B: The Tempest - Revision Notes: Revenge, Repentance and Reconciliation

Struggling to find examples in the text? Find it hard to muster up some quotes? Well, Quelpr is here to provide 2 easy examples for quick and fast essay plugins.

Definition: This theme encompasses the multitude of actions that comprise the process of inflicting harm on someone in return for being wronged, allowing that person to express sincere regret or remorse, and erasing any negative emotion towards them.

Examples in the Play

The situation with Antonio, Sebastian, Alonso, and Prospero.

Revenge: Prospero seeks to exact revenge on his brother Antonio and King Alonso for plotting against him to usurp him from the throne of the Duke of Milan.

Act 1 Scene 2 - "Should presently extirpate me and mine out of the dukedom and confer fair Milan," (Decision to oust Prospero)

Act 1 Scene 2 - "Thy false uncle…" (Prospero referring to Antonio)

Act 1 Scene 2 -"The government I cast upon my brother," (Prospero gives up his state to pursue his "secret studies" and "liberal arts")

Act 1 Scene 2 - "…and thy father was Duke of Milan," (Prospero refers to himself as the Duke of Milan)

Act 1 Scene 2 - "So dry he was for sway - wi'th King of Naples…Subject his coronet to his crown" (Prospero says that both Antonio and the King of Naples were hungry for power and worked together to usurp him)

Act 3 Scene 3 - "…for some of you there present are worse than devils…" (Prospero expresses resentment towards his offenders)

Literary Devices:

Flashback - Prospero talks about his history through the use of a flashback (Act 1 Scene 2 - "For thou must know farther…")

Repetition - (Act 1 Scene 2 - "Dos't thou attend me?") - Prospero says this repeatedly to Miranda to ensure that she is listening. However, it is more than just stage interaction, but an attempt at indirectly interacting with the audience. Such a lengthy flashback may be quite drawn out and information may be lost. Therefore, this repetition is used to break the flow of the flashback and call the story back to action in order for information to be grasped more effectively

Repentance and Reconciliation: Prospero uses his supernatural might to create a grand display of power in a large spectacle, to reprimand King Alonso's party for the exile of Prospero.

Act 3 Scene 3 - "You are three men of sin…" (Ariel reprimands the three men on behalf of Prospero)

Act 3 Scene 3 - "You fools!....My fellow ministers are like invulnerable…" (Ariel reinforces the fact that they cannot hurt him when the three men draw their swords. He presents the notion that the supernatural will always exist above the power of mankind)

Act 3 Scene 3 - "…that you three from Milan did supplant good Prospero; exposed unto the sea…" (Ariel brings up the topic of Prospero and instills guilt)

Act 3 Scene 3 - "Thee of thy son, Alonso, they have bereft…worse than any death" (Ariel targets Alonso, confirming his son's death and adding false information that he had suffered)

Act 3 Scene 3 - "…mine enemies are knit up in their distractions…" (Prospero is observing the men below as confirmation to him and the audience that his plan had worked)

Act 3 Scene 3 - "All three of them are desperate. Their great guilt…" (Gonzalo realizes that Prospero's spectacle had awakened dormant guilt inside the three men)

Literary Devices

Spectacle - The banquet and Ariel's appearance are in the form of a spectacle which is a combination of stage directions, sound effects, lighting, and music

Sound Effects and Music - "Solemn and strange music" initiated the banquet and this eventually shifts to harsh "thunder"

Lighting - Lighting

Stage direction - Controlling the movement of the spirits setting up the banquet

Aside - Prospero is above the men invisible and observing their torment.

Caliban and Prospero

Revenge : Caliban wants to take revenge on Prospero who has enslaved him and portrays himself as a cruel and oppressive master to Caliban

Act 1 Scene 2 - "A south-west blow on ye, and blister you all o'er" (Caliban curses Prospero for his torment and expresses his desire for revenge)

Act 1 Scene 2 - "The red plague rid you For learning me your language" (Caliban again curses Prospero)

Act 3 Scene 2 - "I am subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island" (Caliban tells Stephano and Trinculo of Prospero and initiates a plot for revenge)

Act 3 Scene 2 - "Beat him enough; after a little time" (Caliban plots his revenge)

Reconciliation and Repentance : After plotting against Prospero, Caliban repents for his wrongdoing. However, expecting torment, he is surprised to meet pardon and forgiveness from Prospero.

Act 5 Scene 1 - "As you look to have my pardon, trim it handsomely." (Prospero issues pardon).

Act 5 Scene 1 - "…what a thrice-double ass was I to take this drunkard for a god And worship this dull fool!" (Caliban realizes his foolish mistakes)

Conclusions are a bother. You need to find some easy yet sweet way to finish off your essay. Here are some life lessons and quotes that you could snap-in on the last line of your essay to wrap things up.

Lewis F. Kornis - "Genuine repentance must bear the seal of a corrected life."

Thomas Carlyte - "Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none."

Robert Lewis Stevenson - "Sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences." (This one is especially nice because a banquet of consequences literally happens in the play)

The Tempest The Theme of Revenge

The Tempest is a play with many themes and motifs which guide the story of the play through out. One of the main and most important themes in the entire play would be the theme of Revenge. The concept of revenge is the main object fuelling the story and the reason behind Prospero's strange actions. Act 2 of the play; introduces all the characters and presents an insight to each characters' psyche. This act is really important because it really introduces and sets up the storyline of the whole play.

After each of the character has been introduced in this act the audience is then able to distinguish the important elements of the story. The audience can begin to realize why Prospero has created the storm, why only these people have been caught in the storm and not the rest of the fleet? The base of the story has been set up and the most important theme in the play (Revenge) is beginning to be revealed. Revenge as a theme is in attendance during the whole play, but it is this Act where the theme is the most powerful and noticeable.

The act starts out with Adrian discussing the importance of the island and how it can be a wonderful place if people view it that way. Prospero has started to set up his game of revenge with great planning. Every action committed by Prospero is deeply influenced by his desire of revenge. The Tempest itself was conjured by Prospero to bring the people on that ship to his island so he could teach them a lesson. Prospero is a great man because even though he is taking his revenge he makes sure he does not hurt anyone. He does not make use of any hurtful means to get his revenge.

The revenge itself is purely based on the ideology of correcting a mistake for Prospero. Frankly Prospero is trying not to get his revenge in the sense of hurting anyone but he is trying to get them to learn a lesson and giving them a chance to realize what they did was wrong. The way Prospero sets up stages for each group of people on the island separately. Antonio and Sebastian show their brutality when they try to kill the king but this whole scheme was planned by Prospero beforehand and it didn't go exactly as planned and Antonio tried to kill Gonzalo as well.

Prospero always admired Gonzalo for his nature and this is why he decided to save his life. Prospero had a minor change of heart during the play, it is believable that he was more likely to have had tormented Alonso, Antonio etc. but he decided not to be so brutal and gave them a chance. Although his actions were driven by the craving for revenge but he realized that tormenting them wouldn't change them. Prospero wanted his life back and wanted his daughter to have a good life. Prospero's revenge was the right thing to do and it shows his character and personality.

It shows how he isn't a bad person and just wants the people that did this to him to learn a lesson and realize how cruel they have been. Prospero is an extremely smart person and Revenge isn't the only thing that influences his actions. He also relies on other factors that he wants to correct like his family and his situation at the moment. Prospero is able to get his daughter and the kings' son Ferdinand to fall in love so that their future can be fixed. Basically, what Prospero does in this act is to make the first steps into getting his life back to normal.

He wants to get his dukedom back and get his daughter what he thinks she deserves. Bibliography:1. 'NovelGuide: The Tempest: Theme Analysis. ' Novelguide: Free Study Guides, Free Book Summaries, Free Book Notes, & More. Web. 09 Jan. 2007. . 2. 'Revenge play: Encyclopedia II - Revenge play - Origins conventions and themes. ' Enlightenment - The Experience Festival. Web. 10 Jan. 2007. . 3. 'SparkNotes: The Tempest: Act III, scene iii. ' SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 10 Jan. 2007. .

Author: Angel Bell

HSC Module B: Band 6 Notes on T.S. Eliot’s Poetry

How to write full mark essay in Yr 7-12 (tips from a James Ruse graduate)

Hsc module a: 20/20 essay notes for the tempest and hagseed.

Uncategorized
margaret atwood
textual conversations
the tempest
william shakespeare

What is a textual conversation?

To truly understand what we are supposed to be looking out for in our critical evaluation of Hag-Seed and The Tempest , we refer to the rubric for Module A: Textual Conversations.

The rubric dictates that students are to explore how the “comparative study of texts can reveal resonances and dissonances between and within texts” and consider how the reimagining or reframing of certain facets of a text “ mirror[s], align[s] or collide[s] ” with the other text. Put simply, students are to consider the similarities and differences between the representation of “ values, assumptions or perspectives ” in the two texts to then impute a reasoning to why these aspects of the texts may mirror, align or collide with one another based on context, authorial perspective, audience and more.

The textual conversations between Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest , and Margaret Atwood’s modern appropriation of the tragicomedy , Hag-Seed , is a complex one. To really comprehend this conversation we must consider how each text is influenced by the other, but is also a product of the composer’s context, values and perspective, ultimately shaping overall meaning.

How does context influence this textual conversation?

Context informs composers’ perspectives and so, shapes their purpose and meaning. As such, it is important to keep these social influences in the back of your mind as you navigate the textual conversations.

Some of Shakespeare’s contextual influences include:

Renaissance Humanism vs Christian Providentialism

The growing prevalence of Renaissance Humanist ideals during Shakespeare’s composition of The Tempest espoused the outlook that individuals were capable of acting autonomously and were not following a predetermined path dictated by religious providence. This further fostered a climate of individuals seeking power, knowledge and new adventures. Shakespeare’s presents the nuances within these humanist ideologies through his portrayal of Prospero whose quest for knowledge and agency in creating his own destiny leads to his ethical and moral turpitude as explored further below.

The Age of Discovery

The Tempest was written during a period when many great expeditions were undertaken by Europeans to colonise new lands. In that same period, Montaigne’s Of the Caniballes gained wide recognition following John Florio’s translation of it into English in 1603. The essay introduced the idea of cultural relativism: the concept that human behaviour is a product of culture and as such cannot be judged by those without this cultural context.

These endeavours to colonise the non-European world included the institution of European governance systems in conquered territories and often resulted in the unjust subjugation of native peoples to allow for the exploitation of their land. This is manifested in Shakespeare’s portrayal of how Prospero deems himself of greater civility and intelligence than the island native Caliban. He then enslaves and exploits the spirit as a means to his own selfish ends, serving as an allegorical parable for the intricacies in the implications of European Colonisation at the time.

The Great Chain of Being and the Divine Rights of Kings

The Great Chain of Beings was the Elizabethan belief that there was distinct hierarchy from everything within the universe as dictates by God, and that monarchs were in power by divine mandate itself, and thus had the divine right to only be answerable to God. In alignment with this ideology, Shakespeare’s entire work is a quest to restore this hierarchical structure that was displaced by Antonio’s greed for power and Prospero’s own neglect for his duties as a ruler due to his preoccupation with his studies. As Prospero questions the failure of the Great Chain, he realises that to truly restore order they must all engage in introspection, repentance and forgiveness, in a true display of compassion.

Some of Atwood’s contextual influences include:

High Incarceration Rates

At the time Atwood was composing her work, incarceration in the United States was the highest it had ever been since the early twentieth century. Furthermore, there was a stark disparity in the demographics of these incarcerated peoples where ethnic people of colour were disproportionately represented. Influenced by both the overwhelming incarceration in America, and Canada’s adoption of the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice System that challenged traditional adversarial justice, Atwood explores intricacies the inmates’ experiences as an alienated and marginalised collective.

Shifting Social Paradigms

Atwood reflects the growing empowerment of females in modern society through her distinctly different representation of women in Hag-Seed . While in The Tempest , Miranda was characterised to be of innocent purity and passivity, Felix’s daughter is more empowered in her role as the catalyst of his ethical transformation.

Concepts and Themes in the Textual Conversation

Pursuit of Revenge

Both texts ultimately expose the futility of revenge to provide emotional fulfilment and its incapacity to serve as a solution to resolve suffering and loss. Felix and Prospero are both motivated by revenge and as a result, neglect their moral obligations. Prospero is blinded by his desire to restore his position as prescribed by God’s Great Chain of Beings, but in exacting his revenge he is deceitful and cunning, in neglect of the Christian ideals of compassion and mercy. Similarly, Felix too falls prey to the corruption caused by his desire for vengeance against Sal and Tony.

Sample Topic Sentence: In The Tempest , Shakespeare exposes how the sophisticated nexus between hubris and the inherent human desire for power and revenge leads to ethical turpitude and ultimately impedes individuals from achieving personal fulfilment.

Imprisonment

As Felix famously sums up that The Tempest is “ a play about prisons ”, the recurring motif of prisons is evident throughout both texts to the extent that Hag-Seed is quite literally set in a penitentiary centre.

The most salient interpretation of these prisons is both protagonists’ confinement within their obsessive pursuit for revenge. It is only when he forgives his enemies that Prospero is truly set free. We also see that individuals such as Caliban in The Tempest and the prisoners in Hag-Seed are imprisoned within society’s perception of them.

Ultimately, both composers advocate for empathy, compassion and forgiveness for individuals to break free of these internal shackles as further discussed below.

Compassion and Forgiveness for Reconciliation

Shakespeare presents the perils of an obsessive thirst for vengeance only to provide a solution for it through compassion and forgiveness. The Jacobean-Christian principle of unconditional forgiveness and divine absolution of sin underpin Shakespeare’s portrayal of how Prospero’s forgiveness and renunciation of magic and his past grievances in “ this rough magic, I here abjure ”, are the key to his reconciliation. Through returning to the Christian ideals of compassion and forgiveness, Prospero manages to restore order.

While Atwood’s appropriation still asserts the enduring relevance of self-reflection and compassion for personal development, her postmodern secular context challenges Shakespeare’s representation of unconditional Christian clemency through the relative lack of reconciliation between Felix and his adversaries. Despite this distinction, Atwood does, in agreeance with The Tempest , propose the futility of seeking revenge through Felix’s confession after he exact his revenge through the hypophora “ Why does it feel like a letdown? ”.

Both texts didactically warn against the pursuit of vengeance yet explore reconciliation in distinct ways, reflective of their contextual influences.

Good vs Evil and the Alienation of the ‘Other’

Shakespeare represents the conflict between Renaissance Humanism and the predeterminism of Christian Providence through his portrayal of Prospero’s moral ambiguity. Prospero’s kindness towards Miranda and his altruistic reconciliation at the end of the play starkly contrast his cruel subjugation of Caliban and Ariel, and his shipwrecking of his enemies.

Alternatively, Shakespeare also explores the Christian Providence through his relatively one-sided judgement of Caliban to be the ‘evil spirit’ and Ariel as the ‘good spirit’. He presents how Prospero deems that Caliban, as Sycorax’s offspring, must be evil without hope for redemption. Ultimately Caliban is the alienated ‘other’ and his anger at his mistreatment drives his behaviour which ultimately, fulfils Prospero’s judgement of Caliban’s evil tendencies.

In contemporary society, this overly reductionist judgement of good and evil characters leads to incarcerated individuals struggling to reintegrate into society and being marginalised both within the system and after they complete their sentences. Reflective of this, Atwood presents the ethical depravity of individuals in power, such as Sal, and presents a more human side of the prisoners to challenge audiences’ assumptions about the personal characters of incarcerated individuals.

So, both composers blur the distinction between wholly altruistic or wholly corrupt motivations to challenge audiences’ assumptions about the prevalent perceptions of good and evil in their respective contexts.

Want to know more? JP English provides students with targeted annotations of prescribed texts as well as exemplar responses from past students who have gotten State Ranks or 96+ marks for English Advanced. Our english tutors guide students to find their own unique flair in essay writing. Get in contact with us today to boost your confidence in English!

96/100 English Advanced, 48/50 English Ext 1, 49/50 English Ext 2

When to start preparing for OC exam and why is it important to prep early

Top Selective School Graduate’s Tips on the English section of the OC exam

JP English Student Successes: How Andy scored 99.95 ATAR and Band 6 in English Advanced

Home | Psychology | Revenge

Theme of Revenge in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”

Updated July 25, 2023
Pages 4 (964 words)
William Shakespeare
The Tempest
Any subject
Within the deadline
Without paying in advance

Table of Contents

Futility of Revenge and Violence

Shakespeare’s The Tempest twists the common interpretation of power and authority in literature. Throughout the play, authority and hierarchy is not only a theme but a wanton desire that pervades the characters’ minds. There are many power relationships between characters that shift around in the play. Prospero, preoccupied with his magic, was overthrown by his brother, power-hungry Antonio. Once Prospero arrives on the island, he enslaves the spirit Ariel and the monster Caliban. Ultimately, the thirst for hunger that drives all these characters ends up driving them further into the ground—the irresponsible exercise of power—and, moreover, revenge—leads to more violence and, as the characters see it, retributive justice. It is only when Prospero forgives Antonio, Sebastian, and Alonso, and Ferdinand and Miranda marry, that stability and rationality is restored. Whereas the involvement of power and authority may seem typical in the play, Shakespeare actually challenges the common deployment of the idea of power in literature. The Tempest proposes, through these various instances, that agreement and understanding, rather than vengeance, are more effective in accomplishing one’s own ends.

Excessive scheming and revenge-taking proved to be futile in The Tempest. The play starts off with a bang and goes right into Prospero’s revenge on Antonio and his crew, conjuring up a tempest that beaches Antonio and company on Prospero’s island. Although the audience doesn’t witness Antonio’s initial overthrow of Prospero, Prospero tells Miranda all about it in a profound and very dramatic lecture in which he asks Miranda if she is paying attention three times. Prospero, “rapt in secret studies,” (1.2.95) grew more distant from his government post, while in Antonio “awaked an evil nature,” (1.2.113) which made him proceed to usurp Prospero’s dukedom, recruiting the help of Alonso, the King of Naples. This act of overthrowing Prospero not only enrages him but evokes a determined sense of revenge, which would later incite a similar act of revenge.

Subsequently, in Act II, Scene I, Antonio, Sebastian, Gonzalo, and Alonso are bushwhacking through the island, brooding about Ferdinand’s apparent death, when a “strange drowsiness possesses them” (2.1.219) and Ariel charms Alonso asleep, leaving Antonio and Sebastian awake. Sparked by the first displacement of Prospero, Antonio devises yet another power-hungry act of greed and suggests to Sebastian that he “sees a crown dropping upon thy head,” (2.1.230-231) or, in other words, that they should murder Alonso and usurp his kingdom. Sebastian finally relents, saying “as thou got’st Milan, I’ll come by Naples. Draw thy sword.” (2.1.333-335) The continuous seeking of revenge and the desire for power and authority is not worthwhile in the end. While thoughts of domination and plots of murder are being planned, no character is benefiting.

The plot of the play is centered around the idea of Prospero’s control over the island. Therefore, the objective of the play is to demonstrate that Prospero’s government of the island was, in fact, weak. The characters’ innate greed and desire for power initiates a downspiraling chain reaction which, ultimately, is not productive for anybody. Even after Antonio’s overthrow of Prospero, Prospero’s subjugation of Ariel and Caliban, and Antonio’s unfruitful plot to kill Alonso, no character has reaped any reward.

Compromise and Understanding

Compromise and understanding are more powerful than any other sort of magic or plotting. It is only when Prospero forgives his past enemies and Ferdinand and Miranda marry that something inherently changes in the course of the play. In Act V, Scene I Prospero pledges to Ariel that he will give up his “potent art,” (5.1.59) and “drown [his] book” (5.1.66) of magic. Prospero forgives all the characters who he had been plotting revenge against. Ariel “shalt have the air at freedom,”(4.1.294) and is released from Prospero’s captivity. In a somewhat frivolous scene, Prospero “had [forgotten] that foul conspiracy” (4.1.155) of Caliban’s scheme to overthrow Prospero, but quickly dismisses his ache for revenge in a strange “passion that works him strongly.” (4.1.159-160) Prospero also forgives Alonso’s “rankest fault,” (5.1.152) and requires his dukedom to be restored to him. After Prospero ditches his magic tricks, he admits that “what strength I have is my own.” (E.2)

While the play may seem to deal with the insidious lust for power in a common literary theme, Shakespeare’s hidden theme here is focused on the reality of power, who it should be distributed to, and its consequences. Yes, he is telling us that power and authority are potent forces, but, on a deeper level, by examining who has the leverage, he is warning us of their true usage, and what can be done about it. By ending the play with the unity of the two kingdoms through Miranda and Ferdinand’s marriage and, more importantly, Prospero’s willingness to forgive and forget, Shakespeare is giving the audience a clear message that this is the way to use authority.

The Tempest considers the use and exercise of power using Prospero’s sovereignty of the island and others’ greedy influences. The purpose of the play is to examine who should be in control, what they should do, what qualities they have, and why. Shakespeare uses a good chunk of the play to prove a counterpoint, demonstrating what the irresponsible and revenge-focused reign would do to the characters. Essentially, when they try to bring down someone else, they bring themselves down. In the end, empathy and compromise—not vengeance and greed—are more effective in the exercise of power. According to Prospero himself, “the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance.” (5.1.35-36)

British Library – The Tempest and the Concerns of the Day
Project MUSE – Revenge and Reconciliation in The Tempest
Academia.edu – Conventions and Interpretations in The Tempest

Cite this paper

Theme of Revenge in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. (2022, May 06). Retrieved from https://samploon.com/theme-of-revenge-in-shakespeares-the-tempest/

Select a writer from a large pool of experts
Share your assignment's requirements
Get a 100% unique and top-quality paper

Check related topics

Hi! Peter is on the line!

Don't settle for a cookie-cutter essay. Receive a tailored piece that meets your specific needs and requirements.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Tempest — The role of Caliban in the play “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare

Analysis of How Caliban is Presented in The Tempest

Categories: Character The Tempest William Shakespeare

About this sample

Words: 471 |

Published: Mar 1, 2019

Words: 471 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Heisenberg

Verified writer

Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

4 pages / 1725 words

4.5 pages / 1980 words

7 pages / 3276 words

2 pages / 887 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Analysis of How Caliban is Presented in The Tempest Essay

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on The Tempest

Introduction:In Shakespeare's play "The Tempest," revenge serves as a central theme, driving the actions and motivations of several characters. This essay explores the significance of revenge quotes in the play, shedding light [...]

In Shakespeare's romance, The Tempest, Miranda instructs Caliban, "I endowed thy purposes / With words that made them known" (I.ii.357-8), affirming the power of language to transform the insubstantial into a forceful and [...]

In William Shakespeare’s final play, “The Tempest,” the playwright spins a magical web of a story that, although being comedic and light-hearted, subtly addresses the issues of absolutism, power and the monarchy. The main [...]

The abandoned damsel, the lonely daughter, the beautiful virgin… In The Tempest, Shakespeare depicts all of these ideal constructions of womanhood in his character Miranda. However, looking closely at the text reveals that [...]

The relationship between Prospero and Ariel is a curious one. Firstly, their names have interesting connotations. Prospero brings to mind the verb ‘to prosper’ – suggestive of magic and conjuring, while Ariel, described as an [...]

How have your prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing presented the impact of rediscovery? An emotionally confronting and provocative discovery serves as a catalyst for an individual to [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

An In-Depth Look at Colombiana: Zoe Saldana’s Revenge Thriller

This essay about the film “Colombiana” explores its action-packed narrative, focusing on Zoe Saldana’s portrayal of a skilled assassin seeking revenge for her parents’ murder. Directed by Olivier Megaton and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, the movie blends intense action sequences with themes of vengeance and justice. While the plot may follow familiar tropes of the genre, Saldana’s dynamic performance and the film’s well-executed action scenes make it an entertaining watch for fans of action thrillers. The essay also highlights the international intrigue woven into the story, adding depth to the narrative.

How it works

Colombiana , released in 2011 and directed by Olivier Megaton, is an action-packed revenge thriller that thrusts Zoe Saldana into the role of a deadly assassin. The film blends intense action sequences with a poignant backstory, resulting in a movie that provides its own distinctive flavor within the genre. Written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, Colombiana seeks to capture the audience’s attention with a compelling story of personal vengeance while showcasing Saldana’s dynamic screen presence.

The story revolves around Cataleya Restrepo (played by Saldana), a young woman whose parents are murdered in front of her when she is only nine years old.

The traumatic event occurs in her native Colombia at the hands of a drug cartel. She narrowly escapes to Chicago to live with her uncle, Emilio (Cliff Curtis), a gangster who reluctantly accepts her desire to become an assassin. Fueled by revenge, Cataleya grows up to be a highly skilled killer, targeting the drug lord responsible for her parents’ deaths. Her uncle teaches her the tools of the trade but remains wary of her fixation on revenge, which ultimately propels her into a cat-and-mouse game with both the cartel and the CIA.

Zoe Saldana’s performance is one of the highlights of the film. She brings a fierce determination to the character of Cataleya, balancing the assassin’s ruthlessness with moments of vulnerability. Her intensity anchors the film as she carries out her meticulously planned missions. Despite the character’s emotionally driven vendetta, Saldana infuses Cataleya with a moral code that makes her journey relatable and, at times, sympathetic.

The action sequences are carefully choreographed and executed, showcasing Cataleya’s physical prowess and strategic brilliance. Olivier Megaton, known for his work on the Taken series, brings a similar fast-paced style to Colombiana . The film’s visuals feature elaborate shootouts, clever disguises, and thrilling escapes, each designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. One standout scene involves Cataleya infiltrating a heavily guarded mansion by slipping through a ventilation duct and creating chaos with calculated precision.

Despite its gripping action, Colombiana is not without its flaws. Critics have noted that the plot is relatively predictable, adhering to many of the tropes commonly found in revenge thrillers. The character development is also limited for many of the supporting cast, who sometimes serve more as plot devices than fully realized individuals. This can make some aspects of the film feel superficial, as the focus remains squarely on Saldana’s character.

Nevertheless, Colombiana delivers on the promise of an entertaining action thriller. The movie touches on deeper themes like the cyclical nature of violence and the personal cost of seeking vengeance, offering layers of complexity beyond its action sequences. Cataleya’s story is one of relentless determination and emotional turmoil, driving her to find justice through violent means. Her interactions with her uncle, Emilio, reveal the conflicting emotions behind her quest, as he attempts to steer her toward a safer path.

Additionally, the movie incorporates elements of international intrigue, reflecting a world where powerful criminal organizations operate beyond borders. It’s a reminder of the global nature of crime and the difficulty in achieving justice for personal losses. This aspect gives Colombiana a sense of urgency and relevance, despite its occasional reliance on familiar clichés.

In conclusion, Colombiana succeeds as a high-energy action film that capitalizes on Zoe Saldana’s star power. While the plot may be somewhat formulaic, the film distinguishes itself with intense fight choreography and a compelling central performance. Fans of the genre will find much to enjoy in the relentless pace and carefully crafted action scenes. Saldana’s portrayal of Cataleya makes the character’s journey gripping, offering viewers a satisfying mix of action, emotion, and suspense.

Cite this page

An In-Depth Look at Colombiana: Zoe Saldana's Revenge Thriller. (2024, May 12). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/an-in-depth-look-at-colombiana-zoe-saldanas-revenge-thriller/

"An In-Depth Look at Colombiana: Zoe Saldana's Revenge Thriller." PapersOwl.com , 12 May 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/an-in-depth-look-at-colombiana-zoe-saldanas-revenge-thriller/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). An In-Depth Look at Colombiana: Zoe Saldana's Revenge Thriller . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/an-in-depth-look-at-colombiana-zoe-saldanas-revenge-thriller/ [Accessed: 16 May. 2024]

"An In-Depth Look at Colombiana: Zoe Saldana's Revenge Thriller." PapersOwl.com, May 12, 2024. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/an-in-depth-look-at-colombiana-zoe-saldanas-revenge-thriller/

"An In-Depth Look at Colombiana: Zoe Saldana's Revenge Thriller," PapersOwl.com , 12-May-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/an-in-depth-look-at-colombiana-zoe-saldanas-revenge-thriller/. [Accessed: 16-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

Find anything you save across the site in your account

Can You Believe What Michael Cohen Just Said at the Trump Trial?

By Eric Lach

After Michael Cohen, Donald Trump ’s former lawyer and fixer, was released from prison, in 2020, he became very online. He launched a podcast, “Mea Culpa,” with the goal of righting “the wrongs he perpetuated on behalf of his former boss,” according to the show’s description on Apple Podcasts. Early episodes featured Rosie O’Donnell and Anthony Scaramucci discussing the cult of Trump; more recently, Cohen had brought on the Navy cryptologist turned cable-news commentator Malcolm Nance and the former Trump ghostwriter Tony Schwartz. On TikTok, Cohen has posted gleefully about the prospect of the former President, who is currently on trial in Manhattan, going to prison. (“Trump 2024? More like Trump twenty to twenty-four years,” he said during one of his nightly live streams.) On X, Cohen has even started openly praising the current President. “Thank you @POTUS @JoeBiden,” he wrote , in response to an interview that Biden did with CNN about the protests on college campuses. “There is no place in this country, or the world, for anti-semitism, racism or hate!”

He who once endeavored to own the libs has set out to court them. Though this strategy has earned Cohen a decent audience on social media—more than six hundred thousand followers on X, and nearly three hundred thousand on TikTok, where his live-stream viewers have been sending him donations—it presents a problem for the prosecutors in Trump’s criminal trial, who are relying on Cohen as their star witness. In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign-finance violations, in connection with hush money that he paid to the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 Presidential election. He has now testified that Trump expressly asked him to do this. Basically, the case against the former President is riding on the willingness of a jury to believe the words of a notorious turncoat—a man who went from vowing to “take a bullet” for Trump to writing memoirs literally titled “ Disloyal ” and “ Revenge .” A man used to bluffing, bootlicking, and bullying for a living, who has also admitted to lying to Congress. A man who has nothing left to lose by testifying against his old boss.

Back in 2019, there were lawyers in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office who were opposed to bringing the case against Trump on the ground that it would have to rely too heavily on Cohen, who was unreliable. “He struck me as a somewhat feral creature,” one former prosecutor, who found Cohen credible, wrote. The first month of Trump’s trial has been, in some ways, a long setup for Cohen’s testimony, with prosecutors calling other witnesses in the hope of corroborating in advance as much as they could of what would later come out of Cohen’s mouth. Many of these witnesses could not resist taking shots at Cohen. Hope Hicks , Trump’s former communications aide, said that Cohen was a “fixer” only in the sense that “he first broke it.” Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels’s former lawyer, referred to Cohen as a “pants-on-fire kind of guy.” Even Cohen’s former First Republic banker, Gary Farro, acknowledged that Cohen was a difficult customer. “Everything was urgent with Michael Cohen,” he said.

Cohen may have been “highly excitable,” as Davidson put it, but prosecutors need jurors to believe that he wasn’t so excitable that he then went rogue in covering up a scandal for the future President. It doesn’t help that he always appears shifty, even on the witness stand—his eyebrows sit high on his face, making him look like a basset hound, and one brow naturally arches about an inch above the other. On Monday, his first day on the stand, he wore a light-pink tie. “He said to me, ‘This is a disaster, total disaster,’ ” Cohen told the court, describing Trump’s reaction to finding out that, in the aftermath of the “Access Hollywood” tape’s release, Daniels was shopping around a story about having sex with him in 2006. “ ‘Women are going to hate me,’ ” Cohen continued, mimicking Trump’s intonation. “ ‘Guys may think it’s cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign.’ ” Cohen said that Trump instructed him to hammer out a deal to buy the rights to the story from Daniels and to delay payment for as long as possible: “What he had said to me is ‘What I want you to do is just push it out as long as you can. Just get past the election, because, if I win, it has no relevance, I will be President. If I lose, I don’t even care.’ ”

These quotes sound like Trump. But no other witness can corroborate them. When it comes to these and other conversations between Cohen and his old boss, prosecutors can only offer jurors Cohen’s word. To try to give them a sense of who they were listening to, the Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger prompted Cohen to speak about his childhood on Long Island, as the son of Holocaust survivors, about the heady early days of his employment at the Trump Organization, and about his dismay in late 2016 when he found out that Trump had cut the size of his annual bonus. “I was truly insulted, personally hurt by it,” Cohen said. “Didn’t understand it. Made no sense.”

Last week, when Stormy Daniels took the stand , Hoffinger struggled to control the actress’s testimony. Judge Juan Merchan became frustrated with the amount of graphic detail that Daniels gave about her sexual encounter with Trump—missionary position, no condom—and Trump’s lawyers asked for a mistrial. There was reason to expect that Cohen’s testimony would be equally dramatic: Trump’s lawyers had already complained to the judge about Cohen bashing the former President on TikTok while Trump himself is under a gag order that prohibits him from posting about Cohen and the other witnesses in the case. But Cohen’s testimony on Monday was surprisingly subdued. He kept his answers to Hoffinger’s questions short and to the point, accepted her premises, and often looked to her for approval when he was done responding. “Did you at times during your work for the Trump Organization, for Mr. Trump, bully people for him?” Hoffinger asked. “Yes, Ma’am,” Cohen said. “Why did you do that?” she asked, to which Cohen replied, “The only thing that was on my mind was to accomplish the task to make him happy.” Online, Cohen may still be a feral creature, but in court he seemed thoroughly domesticated. (We have yet to see how he fares during cross-examination.)

Trump, who has pleaded not guilty in the case, spent much of the day with his eyes closed. He has appeared to doze through many of his days in court, but he seemed especially determined to play it cool with his old lawyer on the stand. He didn’t whisper much in his attorneys’ ears, or slap them on the arm to get their attention. At times, he looked engrossed as he read through documents that he’d brought with him to the defense table. ( New York magazine’s Andrew Rice reported that the pages included the latest Times voter poll.) His lawyers objected only sparingly as Cohen testified on Monday, and called for no sidebar conversations with the judge.

The Trump courtroom has become an unofficial venue for Trump World courtiers. On Monday, Trump was accompanied to court by Senators J. D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville. On Tuesday, North Dakota’s governor, Doug Burgum, the former Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy , and Representative Byron Donalds were all in attendance. I wondered if, as they watched Cohen get questioned, they considered the possibility of their own future of apostasy. Trump is always Trump, but his hangers-on are all a wrong turn or two from becoming Michael Cohens. Earlier in the trial, Keith Davidson, Daniels’s former lawyer who worked with Cohen to arrange the hush-money payment, recalled talking to Cohen during the Presidential transition in late 2016. Cohen had been dreaming of a big White House job, but he ultimately settled for the non-governmental title of personal attorney to the President. “I thought he was gonna kill himself,” Davidson said, of Cohen. On Monday, Hoffinger asked Cohen if he had been disappointed not to get the job of White House chief of staff. “I didn’t believe the role was right for me or that I was even competent to be chief of staff,” he said. “But I wanted to at least be considered. It was more about my ego than anything.” ♦

New Yorker Favorites

The day the dinosaurs died .

What if you started itching— and couldn’t stop ?

How a notorious gangster was exposed by his own sister .

Woodstock was overrated .

Diana Nyad’s hundred-and-eleven-mile swim .

Photo Booth: Deana Lawson’s hyper-staged portraits of Black love .

Fiction by Roald Dahl: “The Landlady”

By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Donald Trump Is Being Ritually Humiliated in Court

By Naomi Fry

Who’s Afraid of Judging Donald Trump? Lots of People

By Jeannie Suk Gersen

Stormy Daniels Delivers Intense Testimony in Trump’s Trial: 6 Takeaways

A long day on the stand put Ms. Daniels’s credibility to the test as defense lawyers challenged her motives.

Share full article

Stormy Daniels walking as her hair blows in the wind.

By Kate Christobek and Jesse McKinley

Published May 7, 2024 Updated May 14, 2024

Follow our live coverage of Trump’s hush-money trial in Manhattan.

“The people call Stormy Daniels.”

So began the intense and often uncomfortable testimony of Ms. Daniels, who spent almost five hours in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday recounting her story of a 2006 encounter with Donald J. Trump and the ensuing hush-money cover-up that has become the bedrock of the prosecution’s case.

Ms. Daniels spoke quickly and at length about her first meeting with Mr. Trump at a celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe in Nevada.

After the lunch break, Mr. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche moved for a mistrial, arguing that the prosecution’s questions had been designed to embarrass Mr. Trump and prejudice the jury.

The judge, Justice Juan M. Merchan of State Supreme Court, agreed that some of Ms. Daniels’s testimony might have “been better left unsaid,” but he denied a mistrial.

The former president is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels just before the 2016 election. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels. If convicted, he could face prison time or probation.

Here are six takeaways from Mr. Trump’s 13th day on trial.

Prosecutors took a risk with their witness.

Jurors heard a vivid account of the Lake Tahoe encounter and met the woman who had received the hush-money payment. This could have presented a risk for prosecutors, depending on whether the jury viewed Ms. Daniels’s story as prurient or powerful.

Ms. Daniels described meeting Mr. Trump at the golf event and accepting his dinner invitation after her publicist said, “What could possibly go wrong?”

She recalled that Mr. Trump had been wearing pajamas when she met him at his hotel suite and that she asked him to change. They discussed the porn industry, and he asked about residuals, unions and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, she said.

She said they had talked about his family, including his daughter, whom he likened to Ms. Daniels — “People underestimate her as well,” Ms. Daniels recalled him as saying. They also discussed his wife; Mr. Trump said they did not “even sleep in the same room.” He suggested that Ms. Daniels might appear on “The Apprentice.”

When she later emerged from the bathroom, Ms. Daniels found Mr. Trump partially undressed, she said. The sex was consensual, she said, but there was a power “imbalance.”

The Links Between Trump and 3 Hush-Money Deals

Here’s how key figures involved in making hush-money payoffs on behalf of Donald J. Trump are connected.

Trump received another warning.

Justice Merchan has already held the former president in contempt 10 times, fined him $10,000 and twice threatened to send him to jail. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump again drew the judge’s ire after Justice Merchan said he had been “cursing audibly” and “shaking his head.”

The judge asked Mr. Trump’s lawyers privately to talk to their client, saying Mr. Trump’s actions might intimidate the witness, Ms. Daniels.

“You need to speak to him,” the judge said. “I won’t tolerate that.”

The motive for the payoff is a point of contention.

Prosecutors asked Ms. Daniels about a 2018 statement in which she denied the sexual encounter. Ms. Daniels said she had not wanted to sign it and that it was not true.

Defense lawyers, capitalizing on what they seem to perceive as Ms. Daniels’s shortcomings as a witness, came out blazing. One of them, Susan Necheles, implied in her cross-examination that Ms. Daniels was trying to “extort money” from Mr. Trump.

Ms. Daniels replied sharply, “False.”

Daniels’s story bothers Trump.

Before court even started Tuesday morning, Trump telegraphed his frustration with Ms. Daniels in an angry post on Truth Social, saying he had just learned about a coming witness and that his lawyers had “no time” to prepare. The post was removed shortly thereafter, possibly because of concerns over violating the gag order.

Mr. Trump, who has spent much of the trial with his eyes closed, remained attentive for part of the day, often with a sour expression on his face. He continually whispered to his lawyers and at one point mouthed an expletive.

But by the afternoon, he had returned to his habit of closing his eyes, even during a combative cross-examination.

Daniels’s credibility is a hurdle for prosecutors.

Ms. Daniels’s motivations are a major focus of the defense. In a sharp moment, Ms. Necheles confronted her about what Ms. Necheles described as her hatred of the former president and asked whether she wanted him to go to jail. Ms. Daniels responded, “I want him to be held accountable.”

Ms. Necheles also asked Ms. Daniels about making money by claiming to have had sex with Mr. Trump. Ms. Daniels responded, “I have been making money by telling my story,” and later added, “It has also cost me a lot of money.”

Who Are Key Players in the Trump Manhattan Criminal Trial?

The first criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump is underway. Take a closer look at central figures related to the case.

Trump’s words haunt him.

Prosecutors have tried several times to use Mr. Trump’s prior statements against him.

Before Ms. Daniels testified Tuesday, a witness read aloud passages from books by Mr. Trump. Some spoke to his frugality. Others spoke to his penchant for revenge.

“For many years I’ve said that if someone screws you, screw them back,” the witness read. The passage continued, “When somebody hurts you, just go after them as viciously and as violently as you can.”

Not long after, one of his enemies — Ms. Daniels — took the stand. Her cross-examination resumes on Thursday.

Kate Christobek is a reporter covering the civil and criminal cases against former president Donald J. Trump for The Times. More about Kate Christobek

Jesse McKinley is a Times reporter covering upstate New York, courts and politics. More about Jesse McKinley

Our Coverage of the Trump Hush-Money Trial

News and Analysis

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, faced a fierce cross-examination in the trial, as the defense tried to tear down the prosecution’s key witness.

Over the course of two days of testimony, Cohen has detailed the $130,000 he gave to the porn star Stormy Daniels to silence her account of a sexual encounter with Trump, and how Trump repaid him after winning the presidency.

Trump’s trial has become a staging ground for Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio , to prove their fealty to the former president.

IMAGES

≫ Theme of Revenge in Shakespeare’s "The Tempest" Free Essay Sample on
The Tempest Essay
Ways to revise Shakespeare's The Tempest GCSE AQA Bundle of Resources
The Tempest The Theme of Revenge (600 Words)
Shakespeare's The Tempest Unit
Both Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Cesaire’s adaptation “A Tempest

VIDEO

Stormclaw Dauntless Trial Tempest Solo 0:18
Revenge (1971) P5
Revenge Time, Stellar Blade
Yuki Plans to Take Revenge on Rimuru (Tensura Season 3)
This REVENGE Anime Is UNDERRATED
Revenge of the Sith is Beautifully Incredible

COMMENTS

Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Shakespeare's The Tempest
Forgiveness and Reconciliation in The Tempest Many scholars argue that, along with Shakespeare's other late romances, The Tempest is a play about reconciliation, forgiveness, and faith in future generations to seal such reconciliation. However, while it is clear that the theme of forgiveness is at the heart of the drama, what is up for debate is to what extent the author realizes this forgiveness.
Tempest Revenge Quotes: [Essay Example], 566 words
2. The Complexity of Human Nature: Shakespeare's exploration of revenge quotes in "The Tempest" taps into the complexities of human nature. Caliban, a character driven by a desire for revenge, represents the darker aspects of humanity. As he states, "I'll plague them all, even to roaring" (Act 3, Scene 2), we witness his thirst for vengeance ...
Themes Revenge and forgiveness The Tempest (Grades 9-1)
Revenge and forgiveness. Throughout the play there are many mentions of violent punishments and threats of revenge, but also moments of forgiveness: Sycorax inflicted a terrible torment (I.2.289) on Ariel, and Caliban lists numerous ways in which Prospero could be violently murdered. As the play reaches its climax, it seems that it might end in ...
The Path of Forgiveness in the Tempest
The Path of Forgiveness in the Tempest. In the Tempest, Prospero's initial desire to wreak revenge upon his enemies through insanity brought on by guilt is eventually overridden by his realization that he really desires reconciliation, which he will only achieve through forgiveness. Revenge is one of the strongest and at the same time most ...
Theme of Revenge in The Tempest
English Literature. There is a multitude of themes in the play The Tempest but the most prominent theme throughout the entirety of the play is the theme revenge. Revenge is a large motive in the play that drove Prospero to enact his revenge on the various characters that did him wrong. He uses his spirit Ariel to do his dirty deeds throughout ...
Analysis of William Shakespeare's The Tempest
Many commentators agree in the belief that The Tempest is the last creation of Shakespeare. I will readily believe it. There is in The Tempest the solemn tone of a testament. It might be said that, before his death, the poet, in this epopee of the ideal, had designed a codicil for the Future. . . . The Tempest is the supreme denouement, dreamed ...
Essay Revenge in Shakespeare's The Tempest
Revenge in Shakespeare's The Tempest. The nucleus of the plot in Shakespeare's The Tempest revolves around Prospero enacting his revenge on various characters who have wronged him in different ways. Interestingly enough, he uses the spirit of Ariel to deliver the punishments while Prospero delegates the action.
HSC English Advanced: Textual Conversations
These are the top 3 main thematic tensions that arise in The Tempest: Revenge and Forgiveness: ... Notes and a great starting foundation for your Shakespeare and Atwood Tempest x Hag-seed essays! Hopefully this helps you out and clears up any confusion you have surrounding the module and HSC English Advanced! You got this!
CSEC English B: The Tempest
Act 3 Scene 2 - "Beat him enough; after a little time" (Caliban plots his revenge) Reconciliation and Repentance: After plotting against Prospero, Caliban repents for his wrongdoing. However, expecting torment, he is surprised to meet pardon and forgiveness from Prospero. Act 5 Scene 1 - "As you look to have my pardon, trim it handsomely."
The Tempest The Theme of Revenge Essay Example
Get Your Custom Essay Sample. The act starts out with Adrian discussing the importance of the island and how it can be a wonderful place if people view it that way. Prospero has started to set up his game of revenge with great planning. Every action committed by Prospero is deeply influenced by his desire of revenge.
Forgiveness, imprisonment and revenge
Essay comparison of the tempest and the characters and motifs of these texts do not rather, they are reshaped to align with the context, which ultimately shapes. ... The Tempest comments on how seeking revenge do not set oneself free or help in the confrontation of problems one may face. In The Tempest, Prospero is determined to get revenge on ...
HSC Module A: 20/20 Essay notes for The Tempest and Hagseed
As Felix famously sums up that The Tempest is " a play about prisons ", the recurring motif of prisons is evident throughout both texts to the extent that Hag-Seed is quite literally set in a penitentiary centre. The most salient interpretation of these prisons is both protagonists' confinement within their obsessive pursuit for revenge.
Revenge In The Tempest
Revenge In The Tempest. 1176 Words5 Pages. A tempest is typically known as a violent gale that can rival a tornado or hurricane in intensity and raw power. However, most English majors and literature enthusiasts associate the term "tempest" with one of Shakespeare's final plays: The Tempest. Focusing on a revenge plot for banishment, the ...
Essay Questions
Prospero's need for revenge could easily have led to tragedy. Compare The Tempest to one of Shakespeare's tragedies, such as Hamlet. What elements of revenge are present in both plays? How are they different? In what way is Prospero's revenge neutralized by romance? 3. Compare the plot to murder Prospero to the plot to murder Alonso.
The Tempest: Interpretations
The Tempest: Julie Taymor (2010) Julie Taymor, accredited stage director, adapts The Tempest by changing the gender of the protagonist, Prospero, to a female called Prospera, played by Helen Mirren. This adaptation highlights the significance of the remote island setting and Prospera's astrological, ancient powers.
Essay on Theme of Revenge in 'The Tempest'
Download. The idea of revenge as a means of catharsis in Shakespeare's The Tempest is revealed in the prison setting of Hag-Seed through the characterization of the prisoners and Felix. Prospero's magical performance on the island enables his discovery of an ethic of forgiveness and eventually the relinquishment of the control he has over ...
Theme Of Vengeance In The Tempest
987 Words4 Pages. Vengeance vs. Virtue The play The Tempest, by Shakespeare, explores the values of vengeance and forgiveness through the story of Prospero. The main conflict of the story is Prospero's lack of forgiveness for his brother Antonio, who stole his throne. This causes him to seek vengeance on Antonio and all his allies.
Theme of Revenge in Shakespeare's "The Tempest"
Shakespeare's The Tempest twists the common interpretation of power and authority in literature. Throughout the play, authority and hierarchy is not only a theme but a wanton desire that pervades the characters' minds. There are many power relationships between characters that shift around in the play. Prospero, preoccupied with his magic ...
Analysis of How Caliban is Presented in The Tempest
This essay explores the significance of revenge quotes in the play, shedding light [...] The use of words to paint: Looking at the language as an art in The Tempest Essay In Shakespeare's romance, The Tempest, Miranda instructs Caliban, "I endowed thy purposes / With words that made them known" (I.ii.357-8), affirming the power of language to ...
An In-Depth Look at Colombiana: Zoe Saldana's Revenge Thriller
This essay about the film "Colombiana" explores its action-packed narrative, focusing on Zoe Saldana's portrayal of a skilled assassin seeking revenge for her parents' murder. Directed by Olivier Megaton and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, the movie blends intense action sequences with themes of vengeance and justice.
Takeaways From the Times Investigation Into 'The Unpunished'
Ronen Bergman, a reporter in Israel, and Mark Mazzetti, based in Washington, interviewed more than 100 people, including current and former Israeli government officials, for this investigation.
Can You Believe What Michael Cohen Just Said at the Trump Trial?
Eric Lach on Michael Cohen—Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer—and his testimony as the prosecution's star witness in the former President's criminal trial.
Who's winning at the Trump trial?
That is up to Michael Cohen, his former lapdog lawyer who, after going rogue six years ago, has been busy writing books with the subtle titles "Disloyal" and "Revenge".
Opinion
The headline is: "Israel's War Has Killed 31 Members of My Family, Yet It's Vital to Speak Out Against Hamas.". Alkhatib placed Hamas's Oct. 7 attack in the context of the rising ...
Cohen Pleaded Guilty to Federal Crimes Tied to Trump Before Testifying
Mr. Cohen, who is Donald J. Trump's former fixer, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to a variety of federal crimes, including campaign finance violations for his role in two hush-money deals with ...
Trump Hush-Money Trial Day 17 Takeaways: Cohen Is Cross-Examined
Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump's 17th day on trial: We could be near the end, but Trump is a wild card. Prosecutors indicated Tuesday that Mr. Cohen would be their last witness, and the ...
Todd Blanche, Trump's Lawyer in Hush-Money Trial, Cross-Examines Cohen
Just over a year ago, Todd Blanche was a registered New York Democrat and a partner at Wall Street's oldest law firm. His cross-examination of Michael D. Cohen will continue on Thursday. Todd ...
Live Updates: Questioning of Michael Cohen Focuses on His Wish to See
May 16, 2024, 9:09 a.m. ET. Live Updates: Cross-Examination of Michael Cohen to Continue in Trump Trial. Defense lawyers for Donald J. Trump will try to poke holes in the story of Michael D. Cohen ...
6 Takeaways From Stormy Daniels's Testimony in Trump's Manhattan Trial
The judge, Justice Juan M. Merchan of State Supreme Court, agreed that some of Ms. Daniels's testimony might have "been better left unsaid," but he denied a mistrial. The former president is ...