A Re-imagination of The Tempest
Analysis
A central question in my interpretation of the play will be how does the divine exist in a religious institution that the conflict centers on. The Catholic university Prospero and Alonso fought over is supposed to be centered on faith and the call of religion, but instead has pitted this family against each other. The divine takes hold of Prospero in the liminality of his change throughout the play. He goes from being a vengeful and manipulative master, to setting his subjects free and relinquishing his power to trust in the hands of God once again. Although he enjoys the power he has on the island, he faces reality off the island to rejoin the university and his family. All of this change is brought about by the tempest, a storm he instructs Ariel to control. The concept of human control over the supernatural raises questions as to how far free will goes. Where does god end and Prospero’s power begin? How is Ariel able to control the weather? In some cases, this modern interpretation can answer these claims with science. In my version of the play, Prospero and Ariel control the weather and become invisible due to science that they have researched. Their technological advances are what give them control over the rest of the characters. Prospero’s home holds both a library and a laboratory where Ariel acts as Prospero’s assistant. Ariel works not for his freedom, but for a letter of recommendation for once his assistantship is over. Caliban, meanwhile, is Prospero’s reluctant intern. Caliban’s mother forced Prospero into offering Caliban the position, and since then Caliban has been unruly, rude, and tried to make moves on Miranda against her wishes. For all of these reasons, Prospero despises Caliban and makes him do the grunt work for the island. The band of characters washed ashore face the confusing island that is filled with experiments and booby-traps from Prospero and Ariel’s scientific work. The wayward shipmates do not know what this island that they have stumbled upon is, and they have never seen technology like what exists here.
In creating my interpretation of the play, I was most inspired my Prospero’s monologue giving up his books and his epilogue asking the audience to set him free with their applause. In his soliloquy, Prospero says,
A central question in my interpretation of the play will be how does the divine exist in a religious institution that the conflict centers on. The Catholic university Prospero and Alonso fought over is supposed to be centered on faith and the call of religion, but instead has pitted this family against each other. The divine takes hold of Prospero in the liminality of his change throughout the play. He goes from being a vengeful and manipulative master, to setting his subjects free and relinquishing his power to trust in the hands of God once again. Although he enjoys the power he has on the island, he faces reality off the island to rejoin the university and his family. All of this change is brought about by the tempest, a storm he instructs Ariel to control. The concept of human control over the supernatural raises questions as to how far free will goes. Where does god end and Prospero’s power begin? How is Ariel able to control the weather? In some cases, this modern interpretation can answer these claims with science. In my version of the play, Prospero and Ariel control the weather and become invisible due to science that they have researched. Their technological advances are what give them control over the rest of the characters. Prospero’s home holds both a library and a laboratory where Ariel acts as Prospero’s assistant. Ariel works not for his freedom, but for a letter of recommendation for once his assistantship is over. Caliban, meanwhile, is Prospero’s reluctant intern. Caliban’s mother forced Prospero into offering Caliban the position, and since then Caliban has been unruly, rude, and tried to make moves on Miranda against her wishes. For all of these reasons, Prospero despises Caliban and makes him do the grunt work for the island. The band of characters washed ashore face the confusing island that is filled with experiments and booby-traps from Prospero and Ariel’s scientific work. The wayward shipmates do not know what this island that they have stumbled upon is, and they have never seen technology like what exists here.
In creating my interpretation of the play, I was most inspired my Prospero’s monologue giving up his books and his epilogue asking the audience to set him free with their applause. In his soliloquy, Prospero says,
“But this rough magic
I here abjure, and, when I have required
Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.” (V, i, 51-58)
Here, Prosero choses to face the future without controlling others, which subtly shows the trust he places in god to steer his life. The last command Prospero gives Ariel is to make the journey home safe on calm waters. Prospero is ready to live life without being in full control as he reenters the university. In the beginning of the epilogue, Prospero says,
“Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have’s mine own,
Which is most faint.” ( Epilogue, 1-3)
He illustrates his vulnerability to his audience by admitting his personal strength and power is weak without the charms he has chosen to leave behind. He then asks the audience to set him free with their applause. This is signifying his freedom he has gained by giving up the control and power he had on the island. He must now trust in God to create a new life. Prospero’s transformation is now complete.
This re-envisioned version of The Tempest explores Shakespeare’s universal themes of power and divinity in a modern context. The basic plot-line and setting remain the same, but the roles of the political structure of a university gives the audience a story they can better relate to. The role of the divine in The Tempest still remains understated and subject to interpretation. It is impossible to know how much Prospero truly trusts in the divine or where Prospero’s power meets God’s.
This re-envisioned version of The Tempest explores Shakespeare’s universal themes of power and divinity in a modern context. The basic plot-line and setting remain the same, but the roles of the political structure of a university gives the audience a story they can better relate to. The role of the divine in The Tempest still remains understated and subject to interpretation. It is impossible to know how much Prospero truly trusts in the divine or where Prospero’s power meets God’s.