The Tempest by William Shakespeare

The Tempest by William Shakespeare written in 1610, displays the meaning and value of power. How is power important in this play? Why does everyone need power? Well to begin the main character Prospero has a brother named Antonio who is after his former title as Duke of Milan. The play showcases the extent to which Sebastian, Alonso, and Antonio go to destroy Prospero. All wanting to maintain the title and do whatever it takes to make sure Prospero never gains that power again. Based off an actual event of a shipwreck off Bermuda that was headed to Virginia, The Tempest tells that near a Mediterranean island a strong storm steers a ship that carries King Alonso of Naples his son Ferdinand and brother Sebastian. Returning home from Tunis back to Italy. When the storm hit, their ship was destroyed in the process. Shipwrecked with them is the squire Gonzalo and the Duke of Milan, Antonio. On the island, Prospero and Miranda his fifteen-year-old daughter watched what was happening to the ship. Miranda was worried about the people on the ship but her dad tells her that there okay. He then proceeds to tell her about his past. How they ended up on this island twelve years ago, he started by saying how his brother Antonio forcefully removed him from his title. So Prospero escaped on a boat with little Miranda and his magic books. They traveled to an island and decided to call it home, they found a native his name was Caliban who later became their slave. Prospero knows that his brother is on that ship that is now destroyed, he hopes to finally get revenge. He planned for this to happen, with his magic as a way to get his enemies in one place at once to get what he wanted. As Miranda is sleeping Prospero plots with Ariel, who was trapped from a tree on the island by Sycorax ( a wicked witch and mother of Caliban) about his role in the shipwreck and the plan of what to do with the men ashore. They come to shore safely but the king is at a loss for hope when he realizes his son Ferdinand could have drowned during the tragic crash. Ferdinand was on the other side of the island safe. He and Miranda meet and have this instant love connection, her dad is worried for his daughter. He does not want her to fall in love with him so he puts Ferdinand into a cell. While this is all occurring Sebastian and Antonio create a plan to kill the king while he is asleep however Ariel ruins that for them. On another part of the island there is Trinculo who is known as a timid court fool, he finds Caliban who was hiding from spirits and they are both found by Stephano the butler. Now, these three men are very drunk and are still planning to kill Prospero so Stephano can be the lord of the island. Ariel witnesses this take place as he is an invisible spirit and tells Prospero. Both have a plan and go forth, ready to trap the three men. Prospero's first plan was to distract, and so he displayed some fancy clothes which Stephano and Trinculo fell for. Both attracted to gaudy items. When they touched the clothing they were both chased by Spirit's in disguise as dogs. After that occurred Ariel brought all the courtiers to the cell. Instead of getting his revenge Prospero forgives each of them and states that he is the right Duke of Milan. His daughter and Ferdinand are engaged to be married in Naples just before the Prospero's goes back to Milan. The ship is said to be safe, not completely damaged and they all head to Naples. Within this play power, control and forgiveness act out a big role. At the beginning Prospero's wanted to get revenge for what his brother did, he wanted control of something he lost a while ago due to his brother. For power, Antonio and Sebastian wanted to kill Prospero's to attain that power that they always wanted. And lastly, for forgiveness, it was easy for Prospero's to forgive because he saw everyone struggle and pay for their transgressions. And so the plot of The Tempest is to kill. Sebastian, Alonso's brother wants to kill him to take the crown and Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban want to kill Prospero so they can take over the island. In conclusion The Tempest written by William Shakespeare tells a story of forgiveness. That in any situation you can overcome it and in the end forgive. Prospero's creating that storm and having them come to that island resulted in more of a positive thing than he anticipated. Instead of revenge his daughter was engaged and they all made peace. Although power was predominantly a strong trait displayed in the play, everyone seemed to have attained a little bit at the end of it leaving them all civil and equal.

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