The Tempest Female Oppression Essay
Female Oppression in The Tempest
During the span of Shakespeare’s life there was a drastic change in the male hierarchy with Elizabeth taking the throne and in this play the reader/viewer sees the ‘expected’ roles of women in a time before that. This might suggest that Shakespeare was trying to ‘restore order’ by writing in such a way that depicts women as objects that can be owned or, at best, solely wives and mothers. The predominant female character is brought up on patriarchal morals and is punished when she tries to rebel against them. Women are depicted as lesser than men, considering there is only one predominant female character, she is naive and usually does as she is told, and the few female characters are praised for being beautiful
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Her father orders her around constantly, saying things such as, “Be collected.” (I. ii. 11) and “Obey, and be attentive.” (I. ii. 38) when he is about to tell her a story. She is treated as subordinate, or even as insignificant as something that can be given away. We see this when her father states: “Then, as my gift, and thine own acquisition/ Worthily purchas’d, take my daughter.” (IV. i. 13-4) Prospero is dealing with her love life and arranging her future without her consent or knowledge. Though we do see her trying to rebel against her father’s teachings. She is shown interrupting him to ask about more infomation that he isn’t giving her. She has a natural curiosity and wants to learn more. And although Prospero is scheming to bring Miranda and Ferdinand together, she does fall for Ferdinand and sneaks off to meet him. Her father is trying to teach her what being a ‘proper lady’ is all about but Miranda tends to go with her instincts and what she thinks is more ladylike. Although, more often than not, she does follow her father’s orders. She still thinks he and most men are higher ranked than she is. So she is not completely conditioned to believe everything her father has taught her but she still follows the initial
Prospero Vs Mond Analysis
815 Words | 4 PagesReturning to the parallel between Mond and Prospero, the very fact that Prospero returns to Naples implies that he must have undergone some sort of transformation during his stay in the island, that caused him to relinquish his magic, the very reason he was exiled in the first place. This can be confirmed through interpreting The Tempest as an allegory examining the human spirit’s growth through psychoanalysis. Drawing on Barry Beck’s psychoanalytical reading, the magical island is “an enchanted locality where things do not work by the normal rules of time, space, physical action and reaction.” Throughout the play, Prospero battles his unconscious Archetypes, and grows spiritually. He finally reconciles the two halves of his identity, overcomes his anger, learns to forgive his enemies (Antonio and Alonso) and understands how to rule.
Hag Seed By Margaret Atwood Context
749 Words | 3 Pagesemanating a sense of guilt within himself, further relating to Miranda’s secondary role in the novel. Contrastingly Prospero’s revenge is fueled by the act of betrayal and loss of aristocracy, while Miranda’s purpose remains uninvolved in the main action without the effects of loss at all. In Miranda's naivety, she recalls, “Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.” symbolising the innocent nature of this
Miranda In The Tempest
1113 Words | 5 PagesCaliban, Prospero’s slave, is the type of person Miranda strongly dislikes, and she has her reasons to dislike Caliban, but Miranda did not throw shade at at Caliban just yet. Unexpectingly, Miranda published a tweet, in which she subtweeted her father, Prosper. Miranda’s tweet reads, “turns out SOMEONE has been lying to me for quite some time now. i’m fatherless so slide into my dm’s if you know someone looking for a daughter #yourenotmydaddd #yourefake.” Being the daughter of Prospero, Miranda would never say anything this greedy to him; however, she was confused why Prospero would keep this sacred information from her.
Comparing Tempest And Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
517 Words | 3 PagesHowever there is another more intangible form of discovery within the play, personal discovery of which there is no more obvious example then the evolution undertaken by the play’s protagonist Prospero. Formerly the Duke of Milan, Prospero became enamored with the mystic arts and would soon be disenfranchised by his own brother Antonio, exiling him and his daughter Miranda from Milan and confining him to a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. On the island Prospero uses his arcane arts to become for lack of a better term the undisputed power on the island, ruling over the spirit Ariel and the half demon Caliban, this is juxtaposed by his being powerless to exact revenge upon those who betrayed him so long ago, this changes when his rivals arrive and he shipwrecks them upon the island. It is here we see Prospero’s metamorphosis from an angry old man driven by vengeance to one that grants his forgiveness to those that had wronged him all those years ago as exhibited in the following quote “No. For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother would even infect my mouth, i do forgive thy rankest fault” This quote touches upon the personal evolution Prospero has undertaken over the course of
Imperial Language In The Tempest
1120 Words | 5 PagesHe is a puppet master using his words to control his subordinates. He does this as a way to take possession of them. Bill Ashcroft et. al explores the idea that there are two immediate responses to the dominance of imperial language, rejection and subversion. Prospero proves this by rejecting Ariel and Prospero pasts and using subversion to convince them that he is helping them.
The Tempest Revenge Analysis
996 Words | 4 PagesHe devises a secret plan to encourage Miranda and Prospero’s relationship: "But this / swift business / I must uneasy make, lest too light winning / Make the prize light" (1.2.542-545). He promotes their love by pretending to disapprove of them. By doing so, Ferdinand must fight for Miranda and will consider her worth the struggle. He involves himself in their relationship right from the beginning.
Theme Of Vengeance In The Tempest
987 Words | 4 PagesIn addition to Caliban, Prospero's yearning for vengeance also creates internal issues for himself. After Ferdinand and Miranda announce their marriage, Prospero claims his "rejoicing / At nothing can be more," because he must "perform / Much business appertaining," (Shakespeare, 95-99). Usually, a father focuses more on his daughter getting married, however Prospero can only focus on his plans for vengeance. Some believe that the characters internal struggles were caused by the wrongdoers, and not a lack of forgiveness; however, at the end of the play, after Prospero becomes a more virtuous character, his conflicts with his brother and Caliban are resolved, clearly showing that their focus on vengeance is what caused the internal struggles.
Sexuality In The Tempest
1476 Words | 6 PagesThus, the first scene shows that Prospero’s power is already weakened because he cannot stop the female from pursuing her desires. Relating to Miranda, Dryden and Davenant seem to suggest that Dorinda as Miranda double represents European women who by extension can also not discipline
Power And Power In The Tempest
1983 Words | 8 PagesProspero asserts his own superiority or knowledge of civilization by using his magic powers and Ariel to reach his desired goals and by constantly brutalizing Caliban to weaken his claims that the island actually belongs to him. His tyrannical state is revealed when he uses verbal abuse against Caliban and threatens to imprison Ariel lest he dare disobey his commands. His tyrannical or rather, say, revengeful nature becomes more pronounced in act III, scene III when the spirits appear inviting the king and the other men to a banquet of food they’ve brought. Prospero enters at this moment, having made himself magically invisible to everyone but the audience. Just as they are about to eat, Ariel appears in the form of a harpy, who then calls himself the instrument of Fate and reprimands the men for driving Prospero and his little daughter out of Milan.
How Does Shakespeare Present Prospero In The Tempest
294 Words | 2 PagesShe is the only female character on the island, so she has no one of the same sex to identify with. Her mother died giving birth to her, so Prospero takes on both roles as the mother and father. There is no need for Miranda to compete for his attention if no other woman in the picture; she already possesses him. Even when Prospero’s attention was directed to his traitorous brother Antonio, Miranda didn’t bother fighting for it back. She was quick to replace her father with her soon-to-be husband Ferdinand.
Violence In The Tempest
2448 Words | 10 PagesWhen we first meet Prospero we are also introduced to his 15 year old daughter Miranda. In Act 1 Scene II we are presented with aspects of violence as Prospero retells his past to Miranda and in doing so he explains how they got to this current situation and how “that situation involves treason and murder” (Nostbakken, 3) In doing so he retells Miranda how “his Brother Antonio persuaded Alonso the king of Naples, to assist him in overthrowing Prospero and taking his dukedom of Milan” (3). It is clear that Prospero, although throughout the play is the one causing the psychological violence, in this case he is the victim. In this scene it is evident that Prospero suffered from both psychological and physical violence bestowed upon him by his brother Antonio.
How Does Prospero Use Power In The Tempest
1318 Words | 6 PagesProspero is satisfied with their pain and suffering and begins to forgive them. To Prospero, some things are beyond forgiveness, such as Caliban violating his daughter. Along the lines of Alonso and the others, they have a chance to be exonerated. During the first physical encounters between Prospero and Alonso, the men discuss how the tempest lost their children. Alonso is grieving over the death of his son, while Prospero is heartbroken because his daughter does not agree with his reason.
The Tempest Human Nature Essay
820 Words | 4 PagesAwareness of the evil of human nature is demonstrated in the recount of his life story told to Miranda, explaining how pursuit of knowledge led him to neglect his leadership duties, "I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated / To closeness and the bettering of my mind … in my false brother / Awaked an evil nature", using personification to emphasise his discovery of the dark side of human nature in his brother, like a monster that has "awaked" from a deep sleep, poised to wreak havoc on all that stands in its way. The interrupted construction "in my false brother / Awaked an evil nature" conveys a sense of urgency through fragmentation and statement compression, adding dramatic effect, thus illuminating Prospero's awareness of the evil inherent in human nature. As a foil to Antonio and Sebastian, Gonzalo exemplifies the goodness of human nature, while amplifying the manipulative, evil side of human nature that Antonio and Sebastian represent, facilitating Prospero's awareness of the duality of human nature. Through the dramatic device of Prospero tracing out a circle on the stage and speaking to the court party that enter about their actions, he praises Gonzalo, "Holy Gonzalo, honourable man", acknowledging the innate kindness of compassion of human nature. This is in contrast to his criticism of
The Tempest Patriarchal Analysis
1372 Words | 6 PagesThis indicates that Prospero isn’t just afraid of Sycorax herself, but the idea of any woman following Sycorax’s lead and realizing her potential. Furthermore, Prospero continuously imposes his power over Sycorax’s son Caliban, who is a constant reminder of Sycorax’s
Forgiveness The Tempest
759 Words | 4 Pages(5.1.314-315). Prospero marries off Miranda and uses this political advantage he 's gained on order to get his property back. In conclusion, The Tempest 's themes of forgiveness and reconciliation are major parts of the play. Prospero 's way of getting revenge on people is very reminiscent of the way politically-savvy rulers would get their property back. The theme of forgiveness is shown in how Prospero refuses to forgive people until he has enacted his revenge
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