The Tempest, Shakespeare, emotions, royal negotiation, Prospero, duke
Drama plays are used to convey emotions in many different ways. As Robert Graves quotes, «There's no money in poetry, we have to concede that arts have initially nothing to do with any monetary consideration. Yet, The Tempest, Shakespeare's last play which was performed in 1611 by the King's guards appears as a subtle drama conveying some severe criticism upon its time. Nonetheless, the author offers to reconcile the evils of the world through the experience of its main character, the usurped and mighty Duke of Milan, Prospero who raised his only child on an isolated island growing a devious plan to restore his legitimacy. Then comes the crucial stage of the father's consent to his daughter's royal engagement taking place in act IV, scene 1 which performs a vital role within the play. We may wonder which way did Shakespeare explore to introduce this decisive part of the plot? We will first analyze the character's own features aiming at performing this very action. We will then offer to examine the symbolic part represented by this royal negotiation and its philosophical correlates.
[...] The Tempest - Shakespeare (1611) - Which way did Shakespeare explore to introduce this decisive part of the plot? Drama plays are used to convey emotions in many different ways. As Robert Graves' saying quotes «There's no money in poetry», we have to concede that arts have initially nothing to do with any monetary consideration. Yet, The Tempest, Shakespeare's last play which was performed in 1611 by the King's guards appears as a subtle drama conveying some severe criticism upon its time. [...]
[...] The drama miraculously turns into some romantic play. Then, this pagan consideration goes on with a masque which symbolizes Prospero's own view and personal contribution on this highly sacred marriage. At that point, we need to observe that the holy sacrement and the profane vision are combined and mixed together to offer all the characters' some redemption and prospects. As the plot draws toward its end, The Tempest' s act IV scene 1 accounts for the crucial shift within the main character's mentality and the play's outcome. [...]
[...] Shakespeare offers there to examine how a « potent master » and pragmatic grow-up nobleman turns into a sensitive father and simple soul. The miracle here comes from the natural and invisible power of true feelings and noble schemes which performed into changing completely Prospero's own projects. Between formality and informality, the author chose to explore the richness of explicit vocabulary terms to express this fundamental change in his hero's mind as well as in the play's final stage. Displayed as the artist's vision, we then embrace the simple « As I hope » (l.23) reply of Ferdinand given that, more than a holy institution, marriage under real feelings appears as a natural engagement able to restore human kind's true nature. [...]
[...] Yet, Shakespeare's way to deal with such a formal arrangement appears to be entirey different within this play. Indeed, the father who appears to be, in the first place, a defeated powerful Italian noble, goes into the many expressions of his strength. He therefore, uses a range of specific tools within the tricky marriage arrangement part. We need to first observe the due references to historical and social positions. This way, the agreement is sealed among men only. In addition, the value of the spoken langage appears to be central as Prospero seals the conversation telling Ferdinand « fairly spoke » (l.32). [...]
[...] However, beyond this specific considerations, the Duke refers to peculiar informal langage expressions which turn the verbal exchange into some kind of due negotiation. They also express the Duke's own customs. Shakespeare recalls here that Prospero has grown taking some monetary responsability in a powerful dukedom. Indeed, economical matters has been commonplace in Italy since the Christians abandon this field by the end of the Middle Ages. We may, hence, notice large variations of vocabulary linking the marriage consent to the specific monetary system. [...]
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