Q1. Write on 'illusion of power' in The Tempest.
Q2. Discuss the significance of either sight or hearing in the play.
Q3. What do you think is the significance of the chess game, played between Ferdinand and Miranda?
Q4. Write on the accrual of knowledge/education in The Tempest.
RL
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Q1: I would like to address this question by referring to the epilogue of the play. One of the most straightforward things that Prospero addresses in his final speech is his loss of power. It is with this thought that he begins: “Now my charms are all o’erthrown,/ And what strength I have’s mine own,/ Which is most faint” (5.1.319-21). This sentiment relates back to his speech to Ferdinand, in which he finally realizes that his powers are limited. He becomes disoriented and declares that “We are such stuff/ As dreams are made on” (4.1.156-7), implying that both power and life are evanescent. This is the point in the play when he starts to realize that the whole foundation of his charade is starting to crumble; that his power is not unlimited and that he is, in fact, mortal. The epilogue is a full realization of this sentiment. It is important to note that Prospero is alone onstage during the epilogue; he is the only one who is bound by the audience to stay. He tells the others, including Ariel, his vassal, to go: “…to the elements/ Be free, and fare thou well” (5.1.317). His solitude shows how bereft of power he is; he desires to leave with the rest of his company, but is unable to because he is bound to his master—the audience. He describes how his sole purpose in putting on his ‘play’ was to please the audience: “…else my project fails/ Which was to please” (5.1.330-1). In this short epilogue, Prospero most resembles Ariel, another powerful character whose power was under the control of another entity. It is very ironic then, that Prospero is now in the same situation as one he once enslaved; he must bow to the total supremacy of the audience.
ReplyDeleteLily Ringler, Thursday 9:00