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Comparing The Tempest And Lasse Hallstrom's Film Chocolat

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“Imagination. A journey of the mind”. Imagination transcends all facets of reality allowing us to embrace the limitless progenies of the mind, value new perspectives and assess our own worth in life. Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Lasse Hallstrom’s film ‘Chocolat’ are a testament of how imagination influences the perspectives of individuals.

In The Tempest an imaginary land is created far from the veracity of the sublunary world. It is adept that the play commences with the tempest, foreshadowing imminent anarchy. This paradoxical distortion however, leads to renewal. Prospero, the providential father manipulates events on the island through his ‘art’ and embarks on a journey of introspection, forgiveness, magnanimity and love through his imagination. His yearning to avenge his usurpation is challenged by the love of Miranda and Ferdinand, teaching him that ‘the rarer action is in virtue, than in vengeance’. This explicitly shows his mental amelioration and the broadening of his mind to reconcile. Prospero’s self- assessment is further evident when he remarks that ‘this thing of darkness I acknowledge mine’, thus metaphoric for Prospero’s recognition of his limitations. Introspection leads him to surrender the ‘art’ and …show more content…

Vienne, a single mother is an enticing figure whose arrival to the town is preceded by a ‘sly wind’, much like The Tempest. She plays Prospero’s role as she catalyses a change in people through her efficacious chocolates, challenging them to steer away from social paradigms. Red is symbolic of the exotic nature of Vienne’s imagination. However, her nomadic disposition reflects on her imagination which is instead used as escapism. She recognises the abuse of her powers at the cost of others around her and like Miranda; she too is exposed to reality and surrenders her imagination to sustain the natural

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