Colonialism and The Tempest
Treatment of Magic in The Tempest Dipanjan Ghosh
In Shakespeare's The Tempest, the themes of justice and forgiveness are essential to the meaning of the play. The main character, Prospero, is the dealer of justice and forgiveness. Thus, his actions reflect Shakespeare's message behind reconciliation. The play explores these themes through Prospero's mercy in spite of being wronged, his treatment of his enemies, and his ultimate objective to restore harmony, in this case through forgiveness. With the character of Prospero, Shakespeare manages to create an illusion of magic with the purpose of ultimately revealing the true magic of compassion.
Prospero intends to bring his brother to justice for, through "foul play", stealing his thrown and leaving him and baby Miranda to die by stranding them in the ocean. Prospero seeks to right the wrongs that have been dealt to him by reclaiming his thrown. The tempest at the beginning, which the play is named after, obviously holds very important significance. The treacherous storm represents the torment Prospero has lived through, and his desire to make them suffer just as they made him suffer. Yet he chooses not to kill them in the tempest, but leaves them unharmed at the end. Such acts of mercy from Prospero prove that though he uses his magic to intimidate, in the end that is all he does, for he is compassionate at his core.
Prospero's treatment of those who have wronged him speaks volumes for his nature as well as the themes of justice and reconciliation. Although Prospero has his enemies shipwrecked and at the mercy of the sea, he chooses not to kill them or make them truly suffer. He seeks to create an illusion of justice from which they will learn. This illusion of Justice is seen when he makes Alonso believe that he has lost his "dear son Ferdinand". Even though Ferdinand is not truly dead, the illusion which Alonso is under evokes very real suffering, as evident when
In Shakespeare's The Tempest, the themes of justice and forgiveness are essential to the meaning of the play. The main character, Prospero, is the dealer of justice and forgiveness. Thus, his actions reflect Shakespeare's message behind reconciliation. The play explores these themes through Prospero's mercy in spite of being wronged, his treatment of his enemies, and his ultimate objective to restore harmony, in this case through forgiveness. With the character of Prospero, Shakespeare manages to create an illusion of magic with the purpose of ultimately revealing the true magic of compassion.
Prospero intends to bring his brother to justice for, through "foul play", stealing his thrown and leaving him and baby Miranda to die by stranding them in the ocean. Prospero seeks to right the wrongs that have been dealt to him by reclaiming his thrown. The tempest at the beginning, which the play is named after, obviously holds very important significance. The treacherous storm represents the torment Prospero has lived through, and his desire to make them suffer just as they made him suffer. Yet he chooses not to kill them in the tempest, but leaves them unharmed at the end. Such acts of mercy from Prospero prove that though he uses his magic to intimidate, in the end that is all he does, for he is compassionate at his core.
Prospero's treatment of those who have wronged him speaks volumes for his nature as well as the themes of justice and reconciliation. Although Prospero has his enemies shipwrecked and at the mercy of the sea, he chooses not to kill them or make them truly suffer. He seeks to create an illusion of justice from which they will learn. This illusion of Justice is seen when he makes Alonso believe that he has lost his "dear son Ferdinand". Even though Ferdinand is not truly dead, the illusion which Alonso is under evokes very real suffering, as evident when