The Tempest- notes

Aspects of Shakespeare’s society seen depicted through characters

• hierarchy
• looking at how authority is overturned
• death of authority
• working classes being challenges
• God and Angels
• King- Gods representation on earth
• nobility
• middle class and working class
• animals
• Devils and Satan

• power is disrupted (power struggle)
• colonialization
• role of women- women being seen and not heard
• greed and revenge

Shakespeare starts with storm- symbolic connotations?

• creates sense of forbidding
• start with most dramatic element (storm) and the idea of the king being threatened as the king is Gods representation on earth
• symbolises turbulent political times-- Elizabeth didn’t produce an heir, catholic/ protestant civil war and gun powder plot to blow up parliament (order and control)
• it also can be seen to put everything on the same level and as they are all human in the face of death and hierarchy levelled in face of nature.

CRITIC- DR CHARLES MOSLEY- CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY-

• 'drama is a commercial undertaking' and the writers in the Jacobean era were 'competing for audience'
• 1603- James of Scotland became kind of England, and now there was a new royal family on the thrown, he wanted to bring about peace (as this was a time of the conflict between catholic and protestant) through the marriage of his daughters- social cohesion
• The theme of reconciliation as its aim- doing what people wanted to see.

POWER IN THE TEMPEST

DR CHARLES MOSLEY- CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY- THE TEMPEST AND THE RULE

'State of nature'- Caliban left who represents the natural man- up against people with different views

Caliban represents the normal human and when his values are questioned causes him to become angry.

--Issue of nature and nurture

FRANK KERMODE

Gonzolo- comes out with utopia vision of society (blue print)

Self-rule- Ferdinand has o rule himself (told to Prospero to keep away from Miranda up till marriage) rule over desire- animal instinct and power over yourself- personal.

Caliban transgresses boundary- eledged rape.

Most powerful thing you can do it give power away as it corrupts you/ poisons you until you give it away.

Marriage- state between rule and ruler

VIRGIL'S- Aeneid (renaissance period) rediscovering of classical texts, found new forms of literature, history and politics. - About training for power- impulses are still there and can still beat you.

Geographical the Tempest is found in the same place as Aeneid- reference to Dido.

Eating is symbolic of ritual- links to the ceremony of Christ (Jesus' last meal)

Other Shakespeare texts:

• Macbeth- need for absolute power over needs to be King but ends in death as wasn't open minded.

• King Lear- favourites due to corruption- results in death

• Henry 5th- marriage symbolic of political union- wise

• Henry 4th- parts 1 and 2- to 'laddy' and not serious enough for power.

• Richard 2nd- marriage was symbolic of state and union- too philosophical.

POWER IN ACT 1 SCENE1

Shakespeare is challenging the Kings authority (God's representative) - a man and the power are out of his control.

‘You are a councillor; if you can command these elements to silence, and work a peace of the present'

Boatswain is being sarcastic here; he is breaking boundaries of social conventions, while challenging authority and hierarchy.

The King is supposed to represent God on earth but he is powerless on the ocean- on the ship-

--Representing the great chain of being.

Power when faced with death becomes equal- use of off stage voices 'we split, we split'

Power is thrown away in face of danger and Shakespeare used the storm to disrupt power hierarchy

No one is in charge- audience position was fixed and rules given then freedom to explore anarchy.

ACT 1 SCENE 2

Expository scene- dialogue is used to give audience back story

Prospero holds majority of the dialogue- holds power- he has caused the storm.

Patriarchal society- in period daughters were seen and not heard.