Examine the ways in which Shakespeare makes dramatic use of deception and trickery in The Tempest. In your answer you should also make connections to scenes 3:2 and 3:3 of Doctor Faustus.
Examine the ways in which Shakespeare makes dramatic use of deception and trickery in The Tempest. In your answer you should also make connections to scenes 3:2 and 3:3 of Doctor Faustus.
Deception is defined as the act of deceiving someone and tricky is the practice of deception. Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ uses deception in the themes of power through his magic and control, even if this involves betraying his adored daughter, Miranda. However, in comparison to Marlowe’s ‘Dr Faustus’, deception has more negative connotions which involve cruelty, particularly in 3:2, with the treatment of the Pope, whereas Shakespeare focuses more on the positive outcomes that may occur from attempting to control and trick people, with the constant references to fertility and marriage mentioned throughout the play between Ferdinand and Miranda. Trickery and deception is used in ‘Dr Faustus’ to create a comical effect, which the audience would have found funny, but it is also an instance of petty power, whereas Prospero’s power in ‘The Tempest’ is great, and he has the ability to control the elements and the people around him through his manipulation and magic. Faustus has the illusion of power, and is corrupt unlike Prospero, when given the opportunity to exercise his power, he abuses it and puts it to bad use therefore the two characters contrast greatly in their motives and actions. Trickery, also used in ‘The Tempest’, similarly creates a comical effect as magic is used to create dramatic irony, therefore the audience are aware of the theme of trickery in the play and therefore Shakespeare is able to dis-credit and criticise particular characters (such as Antonio, Trinculo and Stephano) as a sub-plot as means to get revenge. Act 3 scene 2 shows the Jacobean attitude to the Pope at this time through Faustus’s attitude and the way he treats the Pope, which would have provided entertainment, as at the time Marlowe was writing, Elizabeth was in reign and to be Catholic would
Deception is defined as the act of deceiving someone and tricky is the practice of deception. Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ uses deception in the themes of power through his magic and control, even if this involves betraying his adored daughter, Miranda. However, in comparison to Marlowe’s ‘Dr Faustus’, deception has more negative connotions which involve cruelty, particularly in 3:2, with the treatment of the Pope, whereas Shakespeare focuses more on the positive outcomes that may occur from attempting to control and trick people, with the constant references to fertility and marriage mentioned throughout the play between Ferdinand and Miranda. Trickery and deception is used in ‘Dr Faustus’ to create a comical effect, which the audience would have found funny, but it is also an instance of petty power, whereas Prospero’s power in ‘The Tempest’ is great, and he has the ability to control the elements and the people around him through his manipulation and magic. Faustus has the illusion of power, and is corrupt unlike Prospero, when given the opportunity to exercise his power, he abuses it and puts it to bad use therefore the two characters contrast greatly in their motives and actions. Trickery, also used in ‘The Tempest’, similarly creates a comical effect as magic is used to create dramatic irony, therefore the audience are aware of the theme of trickery in the play and therefore Shakespeare is able to dis-credit and criticise particular characters (such as Antonio, Trinculo and Stephano) as a sub-plot as means to get revenge. Act 3 scene 2 shows the Jacobean attitude to the Pope at this time through Faustus’s attitude and the way he treats the Pope, which would have provided entertainment, as at the time Marlowe was writing, Elizabeth was in reign and to be Catholic would