the elemnet of power in the Tempet and King lear
The Tempest, Shakespeare's last full play, is a demonstration of the artist's mature powers. In this play he illustrates his ability to fit various elements of life into a single context. It is a play for all seasons, having elements of romance, comedy, fantasy, political intrigue and tragedy. Gerald Schorin in his essay "Approaching the Genre of The Tempest", labeled this last play a tragicomic romance. He quotes Kermode:The pastoral romance gave him the opportunity for a very complex comparison between the worlds of Art and Nature; and the tragicomic form enabled him to concentrate the whole story of apparent disaster, penitence, and forgiveness into one happy, misfortune controlled by a divine Art.This comprehensive quality of the play, while giving it its prominence, has also made it possible for comparisons to be made between it and many of Shakespeare's preceding plays. It has been compared to Hamlet, Macbeth, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear and many others. However, for the purposes of this paper I will look at the similarities between The Tempest and King Lear as they concern the central themes and the relation of the main characters to the world around them. James P. Driscoll in his essay abou
However, as is pointed out in Driscoll's essay, Prospero's powers are not without limitations and Prospero is well aware of these limitations. Thus we see how King Lear illustrates the tragedy in the quest for power while The Tempest illustrates how to gain power. Driscoll declared it to be " The Shakespearean Mesastance". "(Bloom, 97) After he frees Ariel and abdicates the magician's role to resume his role as the Duke of Milan, he has the ultimate freedom, which, Driscoll notes, is marked by a serene awareness of tragedy, time, evil and death. " By adopting Driscoll's terminology, I will examine how these two characters chose to live their lives in a world they could not control. He is also aware of the limited freedom that he can achieve within the confines of his art, an awareness brought about by understanding time and recognizing the necessity to exploit opportunities the moment they occur. "(Crow, 202) Prospero's power began with mastering Caliban and Ariel and his freedom is dependent upon their release. Prospero guides Miranda towards independence and also frees Ariel. "Mesastance", a virtue that encompasses wisdom and wholeness can only come to those who have the openness of mind and the intelligence to recognize that in life tragedies are inevitable and should therefore be accepted. Both defy all evils that confront them and encourage others to face the truth about their real identities, yet never self-righteously assert their own goodness or implore the gods to avenge their miseries. t The Tempest pointed out that "King Lear and The Tempest display several important similarities. The Tempest begins with an impressive display of those powers that the subjugated Ariel gives Prospero. Lear, without conscious knowledge attempts to deprive his daughters of their dignity and their integrity. She shares with Prospero a value of truth and inner freedom, impatience with those who live by lies, and a willingness to accept, forgive and act on faith. "(Bloom, 89) And so in The Tempest Prospero, by transcending the bounds identity imposes through a mesastance of ego-free consciousness is able to attain a comedic vision of self and the universe.
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Acceptance Essays
