Premium Essay

Caliban vs. Prospero

In: Novels

Submitted By JakeFr
Words 677
Pages 3
Jacob Friedman Period 3
English 12/8/12

Major Assignment #2: Forgiveness vs. Vengeance Essay

Throughout Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the theme of vengeance and forgiveness make multiple appearances. At first, it seems like the entire plot of the play is a scheme designed by a powerful magician named Prospero to bring his rivals to a state of regret because they had usurped him from his rightful throne in Milan. However, as the story progresses, it seems as if Prospero brought his enemies to his island not for revenge, but so that he can pardon them and restore the rightful order of things to his dukedom of Milan.
The play starts, in Act 1 Scene 1, with a storm threatening to destroy a ship that happens to have Prospero’s enemies on board. We later find out that this storm was, in fact, created by Prospero himself for the purpose of trapping his enemies on his island. At first it may seem that this was an act of vengeance by the part of Prospero and it may be, but he asks Ariel if his enemies are okay (Line 217). By Act 2 Scene 1, we meet Prospero’s enemies. Here it becomes more obvious that Prospero wants vengeance as he is making Alonso suffer by thinking his son, Ferdinand, is dead because of the storm. This scene showcases another plot of Prospero’s, which is to kill off Alonso. Prospero, through Ariel, makes all but Antonio and Sebastian fall asleep. This way, Antonio and Sebastian can speak their minds without worrying of consequence. This leads to Antonio persuading Sebastian to kill his father so Sebastian can take his father’s throne. This plan is nearly seen through except that Prospero, again through Ariel, wakes up Gonzalo and stops the plan. This scene shows that Prospero is conflicted; he isn’t sure if he should take revenge on his enemies by killing them, or just forgive his enemies and heal the social order.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Literatura Proizvedeniia

...1. W. Shakespeare « Hamlet» (Renaissance) Character List Hamlet -  The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality. A reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to rash and impulsive acts. Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty. Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, evidence that any other character in a play would believe, Hamlet becomes obsessed with proving his uncle’s guilt before trying to act. Claudius -  The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle, and the play’s antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere. Gertrude -  The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth. Polonius -  The...

Words: 9533 - Pages: 39

Premium Essay

Harold Bloom

...Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Bloom's Classic Critical Views alfred, lord Tennyson Benjamin Franklin The Brontës Charles Dickens edgar allan poe Geoffrey Chaucer George eliot George Gordon, lord Byron henry David Thoreau herman melville Jane austen John Donne and the metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references...

Words: 239932 - Pages: 960

Free Essay

Child Labour

...10000 quiz questions and answers www.cartiaz.ro 10000 general knowledge questions and answers 10000 general knowledge questions and answers www.cartiaz.ro No Questions Quiz 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Carl and the Passions changed band name to what How many rings on the Olympic flag What colour is vermilion a shade of King Zog ruled which country What colour is Spock's blood Where in your body is your patella Where can you find London bridge today What spirit is mixed with ginger beer in a Moscow mule Who was the first man in space What would you do with a Yashmak Who betrayed Jesus to the Romans Which animal lays eggs On television what was Flipper Who's band was The Quarrymen Which was the most successful Grand National horse Who starred as the Six Million Dollar Man In the song Waltzing Matilda - What is a Jumbuck Who was Dan Dare's greatest enemy in the Eagle What is Dick Grayson better known as What was given on the fourth day of Christmas What was Skippy ( on TV ) What does a funambulist do What is the name of Dennis the Menace's dog What are bactrians and dromedaries Who played The Fugitive Who was the King of Swing Who was the first man to fly across the channel Who starred as Rocky Balboa In which war was the charge of the Light Brigade Who invented the television Who would use a mashie niblick In the song who killed Cock Robin What do deciduous...

Words: 123102 - Pages: 493