Rightful Authority In The Tempest

Shakespeare uses the prominent theme of usurpation in The Tempest to critique the characters discoveries of rightful authority as a result of re-evaluating their actions. The hierarchy of Elizabethan society was strict in its rules of birth dictated rightful authority, so the audience is positioned to question accepted lines of leadership when the protagonist, Prospero, recalls his usurped dukedom of Milan. Although, this reflection and later actions cause Prospero, as well as the audience, to reconsider his treatment of the savage Caliban, "The Island is mine by Sycorax", through the ironic usurping of the island and the hypercritical nature of rightful authority during colonisation. The spirit character Ariel is also enslaved by Prospero but in Elizabethan context as an element encompassed being, he rightfully deserves the freedom he openly seeks. However, Ariel’s many illusions and motif, “my liberty”, foreshadow Prospero’s transformative discoveries throughout the play, Ariels eventual freedom and restoration of rightful order. In revising the control he enforces over others, Prospero’s process of discover results in him re-establishing a proper system of leadership.
Boyhood further explores reconsiderations of rightful authority during the character’s processes of discovery through contrasting ages and personalities. Linklater focuses on moments of true power throughout the film at
Both Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Linklater’s Boyhood clearly and effectively present this perspective through the events and characters of each respective text. The progress one makes on their path of discovery or rediscovery, whether it is an awakening of the human value of forgiveness or the equally significant revision of appropriately obtainable power, can offer both rewarding and transformative new or renewed perceptions of ourselves and the world around