Greetings. Your group may use this forum as your journal postings.
This is considered by many to be Shakespeare's last play (always debatable).
If we take it to be his last hurrah, what do you think he is saying? In your opinion, how has his writing developed?
I guess I'll be the first one to break the ice on this blog. LOL
ReplyDeleteI looked a little farther into this question and came to the conclusion that Prospero's character is actually portrayed as the writer (Shakespeare) himself. The theme of this play is about a great magician giving up his art. Using the theory that The Tempest is Shakespeare's last play, it could be symbolic for Shakespeare giving up his great writing talents, and writing his last play. Shakespeare puts a piece of himself into his last play as a little farewell to his audience.
Also Prospero's character seems to be in charge and narrating the whole play. Maybe this has something to do with Shakespeare's role as a creative play writer, and constantly being in charge of his work.
Woo hoo! Looks like I'm the first to post ha!
ReplyDeleteHere's my journal for Act 1 that's a tad bit late.
Summary:
Scene 1:
This scene takes place on board a ship. A great storm threatens to cause the ship to run aground so the boatswain orders the mariners to help fight the storm. But the fear of running aground strikes all of them and the worry overtakes them more when they don't realize who is on board their ship. Finally Gonzalo reveals who is actually on the ship. King Alonso of Naples and several others of great importance are aboard and it puts Gonzalo, Antonio, and Sebastian in a frenzy looking for the King before they head to their foreseen watery graves.
Scene 2:
This scene takes place on the barren island that Prospero, former duke of Milan, and his daughter are stranded on and have been stranded on for twelve years. Prospero explains to his daughter that he used his magic to raise the storm that took place in the previous scene. He then goes on to explain that twelve years earlier his brother Antonio conspired with Alonso to take Prospero's dukedom and put him to see with her. Prospero ensured Miranda that no one aboard the ship was harmed. Prospero then charms Miranda to sleep and while she's asleep he summons the spirit Ariel. He asks to hear the report on the tempest (in which he assures that he dispersed the inhabitants of the ship that shipwrecked all over the island) and then Prospero orders Ariel to be invisible to all but Prospero and Ariel promises to do so. Prospero awakens Miranda when Ariel departs and they go together to see Caliban, Prospero's servant. Ariel sees this meeting and summons Ferdinand, the King's son, into the presence of Miranda and her father. Ferdinand and Miranda fall instantly in love. Prospero sees this and tries to put up false obstacles in the way of their love. He accuses Ferdinand of treason and uses his charms to enslave him.
Quotes:
"You taught me language, and my profit on't is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you for learning me your language!" (1.2.366-368)
"Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothin of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange." (1.2.474-479)
Questions/Discussion Points:
1. Sounds to me like Prospero isn't very well liked. What has he done to deserve getting his dukedom snatched from under him by his own brother? Will their history and the reasoning behind that be revealed later on in the play?
2. Miranda in the beginning seems to not know much about herself or her life prior to the island...why is that?
3. I know this is a plot question but I can't help it...what is Prospero planning to do to get back at the others for taking his dukedom?
4. If this is to be Shakespeare's last play, I would think he's trying to make the point that not everything is serious and set in stone. Because magic is such a huge part of this play then he could be suggesting his readers think outside the box, let their imagination roam free and not be stuck to just reality. I think he would have wanted to end everything with a bang, and this play, in comparison to his others, would definitely leave quite an impression.
5. His writing was pretty consistant to his typical pattern of history, tragedy and comedy. This one seems to jump out of the norm. Even just reading the beginning I can feel a difference in that he chooses to have magic be a dominant factor. Many of his plays have hints of magic in them but this one starts with it which makes it safe to assume that it's the dominating idea in the story.
And I know I am supposed to mention the reason I had for wanting to read this play...I honestly didn't know anything about this play. I liked the title because it sounded "tempting" haha
Greetings Tempest group! Both of you claim to have posted first, But I won't. I am third. :) Are we supposed to write a full journal on here? I was under the impression that it was just discussion...but we shall see I suppose.
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point Irene, with that thought about Shakespeare making Prospero into himself of sorts. I could absolutely see that as being true, Shakespeare had no issue with modeling characters in a certain way for his audiences (i.e. the connection to King James through Banquo in Macbeth), so that could be possible. But if this really is the last play written by the bard, it raises the question of if Shakespeare knew he was going to die soon? If he didn't would he have modeled it into a sort of farewell? Just something to think about.
But let's say that this IS Shakespeare's last play, and his last hurrah. Is he incorporating elements from his other plays? From what I've read, this seems to be one of his most fantastical plays, and would be a grand play to watch if done right. I'm not sure if I could say how Shakespeare's writing has developed, but I can say this play seems extremely well written to me...but uses different techniques than usual! (opening with the storm and without introducing the characters...)
I suppose I should mention why I chose to read this play. I chose to read it because I really hardly knew a thing about it, and that intrigued me! I'm very glad I did choose it, it's been a lot of fun to read so far.
Sorry guys, I thought I was going to be first but Irene beat me to it haha. But it says in the opening post that we can use this for our journal postings and I remember Fergie mentioning it.But I could be wrong. I'll wait to ask Fergie about it before posting my next journal.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read far enough to see this as being Shakespeare's farewell but I was thinking about Prospero talking about burying himself in his books and neglecting his duke-ish duties. Do you think Shakespeare was suggesting that it is dangerous to get too wrapped up in one's own art? "I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated
ReplyDeleteTo closeness and the bettering of my mind" (1.2.89-90) That it kind of causes you to lose touch with reality. I wondered if Shakespeare experienced that in his own life.
Another thing I thought about was Gonzalo's speech in act two(about the utopian society he envisioned on the island). He describes a perfect world in a place that high society thinks of as savage. I wonder if anyone in Shakespeare's times got the message. I wish I could articulate how interesting I think the notion is coming from a man in this time.
So Fergie said we can post our journals to the blog or send them to her if you can't post them. Hope that clears up the confusion. I decided I'll just post the discussion points and questions from my journals to the blog.
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Points/Questions Act 2:
1. Gonzalo has an interesting point in this act. He suggests the island is like a perfect society. Though during that time, island life would have been far from perfect considering there isn't a good chance of their being a solid leader. Most people living in a lifestyle like that would be considered "savage". It's like the book "Lord of The Flies" where several boys are stranded on an island and have to find a way to survive. Chaos is usually all that comes out of that way of living. So it's interesting that he would suggest its like a perfect society and make it sound like it's such a good thing that they are all stranded there.
2. The balance of power is kind of thrown out at this point in the play. Caliban abandons Prospero's services and becomes Stephano's servant. Antonio tries to convince Sebastian to kill King Alonso and Gonzalo in order to take the throne. It seems as if everyone wants to be in control which is leading to chaos which is typical for an untamed society such as the one they are stuck in now.
3. Is Ariel trying to help any of these situations? Is he really trying to do help Prospero or is he secretly against him?
4. Will there end up being a killing at the end of this play because of that craving for power?
5. Is Shakespeare referring to the balance of power during the time he wrote this play when he mentions that everyone is contriving to kill each other because they are so driven by that want for control?
Discussion Points/Questions Act 3:
1. This act seems to show a much more significant amount of magic than the others. Why is it that he decided to make magic such a huge part in this play? What is the significance of the "strange shapes" that appeared to the king and his party?
2. Ariel seems to show his good intentions in Act 3 when he appears and rightfully accuses Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio of taking Prospero's dukedom. I originally thought he had bad intentions and wasn't really going to help Prospero in any way. Will he continue to help Prospero's case or does he have a secret plan on getting what Prospero owes him quicker?
3. This is kind of a weird question but...aren't Ferdinand and Miranda cousins? I know this was common in that time but I was wondering if anyone else noticed that.
4. I find it funny that in most of Shakespeare's plays his characters that fall in love are usually young and fall in love quickly. It begs the question of whether or not he believed in infatuation and love at first sight and if that's why his characters seem to do that so often. Or maybe he was trying to appeal to a certain audience such as young teens.
5. Why was Ariel trying to convict Caliban of lying? It seemed like he pushed him to contrive to kill his former master.
Great conversations folks. You should blog for each act, so doing it in journal format works. I would eliminate the summary and quotes, and just focus on the discussion questions. So ... What do you think about Ariel?
ReplyDeleteREMEMBER EVERYONE - AT LEAST ONE BLOG PER ACT:)
ReplyDeleteAlright, just finished reading act 2.
ReplyDeleteIf we ever produced this play at Newberg High School I honestly could see this play taking place at a circus in the 1940s. In act 2 there are many references to things that can be found in the circus. For example,when Sebastion attempts to kill his brother for power, Gonzolo wakes up at the last second and questions Sebastion about why his sword was drawn. Sebastion makes the excuse that he heard the sound of lions in the distance. Lions are often found in the circus and this scene helps to preserve the setting of a circus.
Another thing that reminded me of a circus is Caliban in act 2 scene 2. Caliban is believed to be a monster and a freak show by Stephano and Trinculo. Stephano tries to tame Caliban with liquor so he can tame him and make money off of him in Naples. The "freak show" act works with the theme of a circus because in the older days people who have disabilities or disformities were often sent to work in circuses and make money for the company by charging ordinary people to see them so they can laugh at their disabilities and see the "freaks".
Here are my Act 4 journal questions/discussion points:
ReplyDelete1. Referring to your question on the blog Fergie, I am not sure how I feel about Ariel. He seems nice but I get that feeling that he's not genuine. It seems like he is only helping Prospero for his own gains. I still have a little bit of a feeling like he might have some plan up his sleeve but I'm not sure what kind of plan, definitely not a good one though. I could be totally wrong but it's just a feeling I have.
2. I thought Prospero was against Ferdinand and Miranda getting married and being together at first. He accused Ferdinand of treason which usually isn't something you do if you like the man your daughter is about to marry. It's weird that he changed his mind all of a sudden and decided to celebrate it.
3. What is Prospero planning on doing in order to stop Caliban's evil plan?
4. I wouldn't have originally thought Caliban was the antagonist in this play. He seemed like just a bitter man but I didn't think he was capable of actually getting back at Prospero. But the fact that he isn't going to fight Prospero himself and that he asked the others to kill him shows how much of a coward he actually is.
5. Because there is a marriage in this play it's considered a comedy. But why wouldn't Shakespeare put this wedding at the very end like he does with most of his comedies? Is this play really going to end happily?
As you can see, I'm a little behind on my journal entries... Here goes Act I...
ReplyDeleteSo, I guess I don't really know how to answer the original prompt since I haven't actually read the whole play yet. Perhaps I will have a response by the end of the play.
I chose to read The Tempest because of Mrs. Ferguson's description of how it affected her the first time she watched it onstage. I enjoy Shakespeare, but I would love to ignite the flame that really draws me to his work.
I found Act 1 very chaotic (as I'm sure most do) and hard to understand. In fact, I had to read the summary online to figure out what I'd just read... I'm curious as to why Shakespeare felt it necessary to open the play in such disorder and confusion.
Act 2, on the other hand, was very interesting and entertaining. I am particularly fond of Ariel and his perfect dedication to Prospero, even when he is begging for his freedom. I love that he swears to carry out Prospero's commands "to th' syllable" (1.2.611).
In an aside, Prospero explains his soon-following actions in relation to Ferdinand, saying, "But this swift business/I must uneasy make, lest too light winning/Make the prize light" (1.2.542-545). I feel that this shows Prospero's love for his daughter in that he does not want her to be swept away the moment she is seen. He wants Ferdinand to work for her, and her for him. It is a universal truth that when you attain something with very little effort, you appreciate it much less than if you had worked and pained over it. I believe Prospero wants a special relationship like that for his Miranda. Just something to think about.
Act 3 blog
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jade's second discussion point I think the reason that Prospero is pretending to disprove of Ferdinand and Miranda's relationship is because he wants Ferdinand to learn the value of respect for Miranda, and he wants to see that Ferdinand will protect Miranda and work for her love so he will cherish her always be a good husband too her. Prospero's "disapproval" is just a test to see how well Ferdinand can respect rules set up for Miranda, and to test how much he really love's Miranda and is willing to fight for her.
In response to Fergie's question about Ariel, I'm not exactly sure what I think about him. I have no good nor bad opinion of him at this point. We'll see how the rest of the play goes before I can make that opinion. So far he just seems to be a creature who really wants freedom and is willing to complete all the tasks that Prospero give's him in order to be set free. I don't think he is mischievous, I think his motivation is freedom and he does not want to do anything to jeopardize his opportunity to get that freedom. He only does exactly what Prospero asks him to do.
Here's my act 5 discussion points and questions:
ReplyDelete1. Many assume that Prospero was to represent Shakespeare himself. Why would Shakespeare choose to have a character that represented him? Was he using this character to secretly renounce his title as a playwright?
2. This was a question I asked at the very beginning of the act...Why is Prospero choosing to give up his powers? Does he feel guilty for using his powers for wrong?
3. Did Prospero plan to tell Alonso his brother that he forgives him for stealing his dukedom and is the reason he wanted him stranded on the island was in order to tell him that or was he going to get back at him but changed his mind? If the first one is the reason then that shows how good of a person Prospero is.
4. Ariel turned out to be a wonderful spirit that earned his freedom in the end. My theory that he had something planned wasn't true and I can accept that ha! But I still wonder how he even became a "servant" to Prospero in the first place? Was he discovered by Prospero like Caliban was?
5. If this was Shakespeare's last play, why did he decide to write about magic? This was a question proposed earlier and it was going through my mind while finishing the play. I am sticking with my original idea which was that he wanted to make the point that not everything in life needs to be completely serious. I'm also thinking that the magic was supposed to represent his career as a playwright and how his plays affected his audiences just like the magic affected those on the island. Prospero's farewell to his magic is Shakespeare's farewell to his works.
P.s. Now that you brought that up Irene, I completely agree that Prospero was testing them. It seems like a typical parent thing to do.
What? what happened to my act 3 discussion blog. I posted it on here. I don't see it now. I promise I did it.
ReplyDeleteAct 4 blog.
ReplyDeleteOnce again in response to Jade's act 4 discussion point, I think the reason why Prospero was pretending to be against Ferdinand's love for Miranda at the beginning of the play is because he wanted Ferdinand to work hard for Miranda's love and for his consent of marriage so that Ferdinand will value and cherish Miranda's heart for the rest of his life. Prospero knows that Miranda has only seen 2 men her whole entire life and has never had romantic feelings for anyone before. He knows that Miranda would be naive and fall in love with the first man that she sees who is not Caliban. He only pretended to dissaprove of the relationship to protect his daughter from heart break and to let Ferdinand appreciate the value of hard work and too see if Ferdinand actually loves Miranda enough to work for her heart and His consent. It was all a test to see the nature of Ferdinand's love for Miranda. Once he saw that Ferdinand was a good man and a suitable husband for Miranda he rejoiced and celebrated their marriage and sent blessing upon them.
Alright, I will write my blog three again.
ReplyDeleteAfter completing act 3 I feel like I did not know Ariels character well enough to actually form a an opinion of him. Jade says that she thinks that Ariel might be mischievous and may turn against Prospero. I don't think that is true. I think that Ariel is a very good spirit and will do anything that Prospero tells him to do as long as he gets his freedom in return. Ariel will do anything Prospero asks him to do perfectly because he is a good and honest spirit who longs for freedom.
Act 5 blog
ReplyDeleteThere is a controversy about The Tempest that Shakespeare actually portrays himself as the character of Prospero. I think this could actually be true. The Tempest is Shakespeare's last known play that he wrote. In The Tempest Prospero retires his art of magic and decides to live a normal life for the remainder of his Older Days. I believe that every author wants to be remembered with a last book/play that goes out with a bang. It could be possible that Shakespeare wanted to retire his writings so he could focus on enjoying life itself because plays were interfering with his full potential of having a happy life. I am not sure how old Shakespeare was when he died, nor am I sure if he died shortly after finishing this play. Those are some things that could help determine if Prospero is actually William Shakespeare himself. There is a possibility that Shakespeare knew he was going to die soon and decided to write The Tempest as his last play and used Prospero's action of giving up his art of magic as a way to symbolize Shakespeare writing his last play, moving on in life and retiring his art of writing to be at peace.
Dear me, I have fallen a smidge behind on these! My goodness. Here are my discussion points or Act II.
ReplyDelete1. One of the things that struck me as a began to read this act was the different reactions to the stop that the characters show. Some are very happy to be alive, while others will take no comfort in their survival. I think this reveals a lot about the characters themselves...
2. In response to what Jade said in her Act II post, I agree that this act throws into chaos a lot of the power balances and power positions that previously exist, but I can't say that this is because of the place they find themselves in. Even in "normal" society, Prospero is thrown from power...does this mean that these characters are "savages" in whatever setting they find themselves in? Just a thought.
3. I found Gonzalo's description of his seemingly ideal society rather odd...he is all for throwing out all societal norms. This does however, reveal a lot about him as a character, and some of his ideas seem far beyond his him (like the sharing of wealth and such)...could Shakespeare be throwing in some ideas of his own in this last work of his? (Perhaps far-fetched, but it's interesting...)
4. Why does Ariel leave some of the men awake when he lulls the others to sleep? Does he know that left alone they will begin to plot against one another?
5. Why is Antonio so quick and eager to think that Ferdinand has snuffed it? Wouldn't that be something they would want to avoid?
Here are my Act III discussion points:
ReplyDelete1. Both Ferdinand and Miranda seem to act so innocent in their love and when they talk together...This makes sense for Miranda because she hasn't seen any males, but is that just the nature of Ferdinand? Does that make him a better match for Miranda because of it?
2. I agree with Jade in that Ariel is mischievous, and I think he really wants his freedom, but I think he manages to enjoy the roles that Prospero has him play, which seems clear to me in how dramatic he makes his speech while in the form of a harpy.
3. In response to Jade's question, Ferdinand is the son of Alonso, the King of Naples, not Antonio, the Duke of Milan and Prospero's brother. An easy Mistake to make, but thank goodness they aren't 1st cousins :)
4. This act brings to light the irony that the men who fear the spirits that Prospero controls are more evil than the spirits themselves. Significance?
5. After Alanso, Antonio, and Sebastion run off to go off in their crazy violent state, Gonzalo acts as a voice of reason to the other shipwrecked men, cautioning them. Will he remain this reasonable?
And here is Act IV!
ReplyDelete1. At the beginning of this act, Ferdinand instantly believes that Prospero was merely testing him...is his to quick to believe because he is so in love?
2. I agree wholeheartedly with Irene on this one on the subject of Prospero's testing. Had he not tested Ferdinand, his daughter might have fallen for someone that she shouldn't having only seen two other men in her entire life...
3. Does nobody find it odd that a bunch of spirits appear and start putting on a play? Especially Ferdinand, him not having known about the spirits...when he finally asks what they are, she accepts the answer in a second and is even happier because of it. Strange.
4. In response to what you said Jade, I can't say I agree that Caliban is the antagonist...does he ever actually do anything that stops Prospero from getting what he wants? He's an angry fellow, yes, but can we classify him as that?
5. Do you think good ol' Shakespeare made the relationships between the more villainous characters so dysfunctional and backstabbing to make the relationships between the nicer characters seem more healthy and natural?
And, at long last, ACT IV! :D
ReplyDelete1. Both act 4 and act 5 take place entirely in one scene each. Why is this? Does it help to keep the action going?
2. In response to your 4th question Jade, Prospero ended up with Ariel as his servant because he saved him from the witch that was Caliban's mother. (The witch had imprisoned him in a pine tree...)
3. I talked about this in my essay a lot, but this final act seems to cement the idea that Shakespeare might've been putting himself into Prospero, with all this giving up of his arts and power business. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?
4. Prospero seems like he is very able to forgive in the end of this play...does the same go for the other characters?
5. Do the other characters that arrived on the boat ever know of all of Prospero's magical tricks? And how he fooled them and led them around?
At last! Done with journals!
dear me, I meant that last post to be labeled ACT V.
ReplyDelete