Portrayal of Utopia in The Tempest Essay example - 1652 Words

Portrayal of Utopia in The Tempest In The Tempest, Shakespeare allows the audience to appreciate the possibilities of utopian society and whatever this may posses. Being the good, and bad so that they can see that problems can arise in such a society. The Tempest can be thus seen as a window into the dimensions of utopian societies. While his characters take on the role of the leaders of the utopian societies, Shakespeare uses his creation to portray the social questions and beliefs of society of how a utopian environment should be. Essential to the discussion of this aspect of The Tempest is the definition of a Utopia. For different characters this utopia means different things. First of all and maybe most†¦show more content†¦However simultaneously the view of Antonios utopia is the picture of evil. His own evil intentions and deceitful gain of power fuelled by ego centric views, were what people of that time would have labeled a dystopia, the opposite of a utopia. Specifically referring to Mirandas utopia we can see how she takes a rather naà ¯ve view on what a Utopian society should hold. As aforementioned all her life she has been isolated on the island seeing no-one but her father as well as his slaves Ariel and Caliban, and therefore upon seeing other beings she is amazed and overcome by her new discovery. In seeing the demise of the ship she claims ‘Had I been any God of power, I would have sunk the sea within earth or ere’, this isolates her desperation in saving something so magical and indeed alien to her. In the closing scene Miranda also exclaims rather naively; ‘How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world/That has such people in’t’. The irony is fuelled by how this whole scenario has not been based on truth or scientific discovery as fuelled by Enlightenment debate but rather an illusion and destructive actions coined by her father Prospero. Miranda’s role in the play, along with Ferdinand is to unite enemies (Prospero Alonso), and this links in to Ferdinands utopia which represents true love (as it has passed Prosperos tests). Ferdinand therefore finds a utopia on the island, because in marrying Miranda his lifeShow MoreRelated Portrayal of Utopia in The Tempest by William Shakespeare Essay examples1227 Words   |  5 PagesUtopia in The Tempest In The Tempest, Shakespeare allows the audience to appreciate the possibilities of utopian society, the good, and bad, so that they can understand the problems that the pursuit of a utopian environment may cause. The Tempest is a window into the dimensions of utopian societies. Shakespeares play portrays the good and the evil sides of the perfect life. While his characters take on the role of the leaders of the utopian societies, Shakespeare portrays the socialRead More Conflict and Harmony in The Tempest Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesConflict and Harmony in The Tempest   Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare describes a utopic world saturated with supernatural images and ideas which works to create the mysterious island where The Tempest takes place.   This is one of Shakespeares best examples of how a natural harmony reveals itself through the actions of discourse and confusion.   To illustrate this idea best one must examine the historical context upon which The Tempest is based.   Because this play was published in the early 1600sRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Tragicomedy The Tempest1935 Words   |  8 PagesLiterary texts rarely stand alone, frequently including elements from other influences. William Shakespeare’s tragicomedy The Tempest (c:1611) is a play that uses intertextuality to enhance ideas about natural order. Banished to an island, Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, conjures up a tempest that brings him his usurping brother, Antonio in an attempt to restore his Dukedom. The play’s amalgamation of tragicomedy and the pastoral genre allows Shakespeare to warn his audience about unbalanceRead MoreVinegar Tom: More Than Just a History Play2652 Words   |  11 PagesChurchill’s plays display a preoccupation with political possibility and reveal traces of Utopian desire (Adisehiah Utopian Space). Her 1970s plays, in particular, intersect with and reflect a cultural context that produced rejuvenated engagements with Utopia (Adisehiah Utopian Space). The theatre groups Joint Stock and Monstrous Regiment, who performed the original productions of her history plays Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976) and Vinegar Tom (1976) (Constanakis 159), were additionally committed