In William Shakespeare’s, The Tempest, we set a foundation of analyzing two aspects of a literary work: the role of a character and character transformation. As the first literary work that our class analyzed, The Tempest, helped introduce the idea of “alchemy,” a magical form of changing elements into a purified form yielding what is known as, “The Philosopher’s Stone (purified state of being).” This idea of alchemy can be seen in characters’ role, as well as the transformation seen in characters throughout Shakespeare’s play. One needs to analyze the genre of Shakespeare’s work, to understand the character’s development and relation to the play as a whole. This play is characterized as a “dramatic comedy,” in which character interaction is the substance of all events that take place within the story. Also, Shakespeare incorporates the traditional aspect: inciting point, rising action, climax, and resolution, so that the reader understands the overall visual meaning of Shakespeare’s’ creation. The major theme of a “dramatic comedy” relates to the idea of relationship or marriage, which is seen in the play as the climax and ultimate outcome. As stated before, the source of conflict and action in a “dramatic comedy” only exist through character interaction, as seen Prospero’s and Antonio’s relationship. Prospero is seen as the protagonist (figure in which action is being performed) of the play, while Antonio is considered the antagonist (figure doing the action to the protagonist) because of his actions that caused Prospero’s situation. This relationship is one of the most important of the play because it not only sets the scene for why Prospero organizes his actions, but also how the setting of the play relates to Prospero.
In the opening of the play, Prospero is stranded on a remote island, which the reader later realizes is caused by his brother, Antonio, a conning and power struck sibling, who usurped the Dukedom of