Tempest...5.1.33-57 Analysis of a Passage

¶ … Tempest...5.1.33-57

Analysis of a passage from the Tempest

This speech by Prospero comes towards the end of the play and at a time when forgiveness and the resolution to the evil that was perpetrated by the King is the central thematic focus of the play.

Ariel requests Prospero to stop working and tells him that the King is imprisoned. Prospero instructs Ariel to release the king as well as Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian and Gonzalo. He then delivers his speech in which he gives up the magical powers that have provided him with the abilities and the strength to rectify the various imbalances and ills in the society.

In essence, in the closing scene of the play Prospero forgives his adversaries and restores the balance between good and evil in society as well as in nature and the universe. The marriage between Ferdinand and Miranda is indicative of the new phase of prosperity and moral goodness that is to beginning and which has been engineered by Prospero. At the same time there is a strange sense of loss and even a touch of despair in the speech as Prospero renounces his magical knowledge.

The passage under discussion begins with Prospero calling on the elves and other elements of the magical world to observe these actions. He refers to the invisible forces and spirits of the magical, unseen world that form an essential part of his magical knowledge and which have aided him in his endeavors throughout the play. He refers specifically to the "...elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves, and ye that on the sands with printless foot..." (Act 5.Sc.1. 33-34) One of the aspects that he emphasizes is that these spirites are everywhere; they exist in the air, on land as well as in lakes and in water. The use of the word "printless" also emphasizes the fact that they are not of this world and are not human. Prospero also refers to the fairy rings; "green, sour ringlets." (Act 5.Sc.1. 37)

These elves ands other creatures are capable of great and superhuman tasks - for example, they can "...chase the ebbing Neptue" and were instrumental in creating the storm that Prospero evokes earlier in the play. Their size is also referred to; although they are "demi -puppets" or small puppets they are also capable of momentous actions. (Act 5.Sc.1. 36) as Prospero states,"Weak masters though ye be - I have bedimmed the noontide sun, called forth there mutinous winds." (Act 5.Sc.1. 42-43)

Prospero also acknowledges their aid and help in the fighting of a "roaring war" between the earth and the sky. (Act 5.Sc.1. 44) This is an important aspect that refers to a central theme in the play. The images associated with the forces of earth and sky imply that the action of the play deals with the theme of the essential fight between good and evil and between savage nature and civilized moral values - especially in the character of Caliban.

The imagery of conflict between good and evil is carried further in the speech. For instance, in line 43 we have reference to the image of "mutinous winds" and to the image of " dread rattling thunder." All of these images contribute to the vision of a larger battle that rages between good and evil in the visible world and invisible world of magic and which influences and affects humanity. In this sense Shakespeare refers as well to the central Roman god Jove, who is the god of storms. (Act 5.Sc.1. 42-43)

In other words, these references are intended to imply that there is an underlying and larger battle that Prospero has been involved in worth the aid of his supernatural helpers that goes beyond purely personal elements. The power of Prospero's magic are is also suggested by the words "potent art." (Act 5.Sc.1. 50) This is amplified by the reference in the previous line to the potential of this magic to open graves and waken the dead.

Having stressed the immense power and possibility of his magic, Prospero then states in the last section of the speech that he intends to renounce or "adjure" his magical powers. One of the reasons for this decision could be seen in the word " rough " that he uses to describe his magic. This may imply that his powers are possibly imprecise and too destructive - in other words that they are instruments that are dangerous and should not be used lightly.

Another reason for his decision is that Prospero realizes that although his knowledge is great and he has command of powerful magical forces, he is also aware of the potential for corruption and evil that exists in the human heart. Over this aspect he has no control. The realization of the propensity for evil in the human heart is perhaps a reason for the sense of sadness that pervades this much of the rest of the play.