The Tempest And Ozymandias Comparison

Discovery is one of the most essential driving forces of civilisation, leading society to new worlds and values, stimulating new ideas and enabling the speculation about future possibilities. It is through the process of discovery that an individual is able to challenge their preconceived notions about human experience in the world and in turn develop a renewed understanding of themselves and others. This notion is exemplified in William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, Kate Chopin’s ‘The story of an hour’ and Percy Bysshe Shelly’s ‘Ozymandias.’ Despite contrasting social and political contexts, each text explores the way in which renewed perceptions and values result from imminent journeys.

Discovery of the self occurs through the re-examination of one’s values which often lead to new understandings of themselves and their wider world. In William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest,’ Prospero discovers the significance of love and forgiveness in reevaluating one’s perception of others as well as one’s own place in the world. Initially Prospero is filled with rage as he explains the way in which his brother usurped him and thus took control of Milan. This is clearly portrayed in the line “O’ver-prized all popular rate, my false brother /awakened an evil nature.”
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin’s shows the impression of Mrs. Louise Mallard as being one who makes a difference and exemplifies the oppression of women in a society which consisted of mainly men where they were being treated unfairly. When Mrs. Mallard receives the news about the death of her husband, grief had overwhelmed her though she begins to sense the feeling of freedom. In the line, “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully”, it portrays that she fears her new beginning as new feelings start taking control of