The Tempest By William Shakespeare - 1620 Words

The Tempest, a play written by William Shakespeare, involves various aspects of power demonstrated through a flip of the hierarchy of power. Antonio, Prospero’s brother, who took Prospero’s dukeship out of a thirst for power is on a ship which Prospero has caused to wreck with a storm, on the island where he and his daughter live. This is part of Prospero’s plan to have Miranda become the next heir of Naples by marrying Alonso’s son, Ferdinand, King of Naples. In Act Two, Antonio and Sebastian, Alonso’s brother, believe everyone else not with them has died in the shipwreck and conspire to kill Gonzalo, a lord, as well as Alonso to make Sebastian the next heir of Naples. Throughout Act Three, Caliban, a slave of Prospero, sets up a plan to†¦show more content†¦He also calls Miranda ignorant, for not knowing more of who they are, in these few lines. This section of dialogue lets us know Prospero wants more for his daughter who knows little of their life. Prospero then goes into beginning to tell Miranda about their lives, saying she now must know who her father is (1.2.33). In the exchange of these couple of lines we get the impression that Miranda believes whatever her father, Prospero, says is all there is to know and that Prospero has been uninformative with Miranda about their lives. Before going more in-depth with the story of their past, Prospero asks Miranda if she can remember a time before the island and then answers before giving her a chance to respond (1.2.39-40). This lets us know that Prospero controls conversations between him and Miranda. Miranda’s personality is already beginning to change some during Prospero’s story, she asks her father to continue talking about their past though it may be painful for him to go on. Another aspect of the story that reoccurs is Prospero asks multiple times if Miranda is paying attention, therefore appearing desperate for attention. Though his story is ups etting Miranda, he asks her to continue listening to what he is saying, implying that he doesn’t mind seeing her upset nor does she mind him seeing her cry (1.2.135). By the end of the story however, Prospero never directly answers Miranda’sShow MoreRelatedThe Tempest By William Shakespeare1603 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeare’s play, The Tempest, power is manifested in several forms: the investigation of the power of love, the power of magic and illusion, or the power of nature. However, in The Tempest, power is most clearly defined as dominance. Throughout the play, there is a universal pursuit of dominance over other people, dominance over property, or dominance over cultural ideals. These pursuits of dominance are used in an attempt to further ones authority, and, ultimately, one’s life. 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