Leszek H. Ward
The Tempest is often considered Shakespeare's "last" play, although the evidence for this is unclear and seems to indicate that that the bard worked collaboratively on the writing of at least three more plays after The Tempest
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. Published in the First Folio of 1623, the play was likely written in 1610-1611 and first performed before the court of King James I. It remains one of Shakespeare's most strange and spectacular plays, featuring an aging, displaced duke, an "airy spirit" named Ariel, a deformed monster whose name is an imperfect anagram of the word cannibal, magical apparitions, and fantastic staging throughout. The protagonist, Prospero, uses his magic to manipulate and control a group of men who have been shipwrecked on the island he inhabits with his daughter Miranda. As luck would have it, this group of men consists of all those responsible for the loss of his dukedom and his banishment to the island. Using his magic and his not so faithful servants, Prospero is able to force his enemies to repent and to arrange a marriage between his daughter and the son of the king. In doing so, Prospero restores himself to his rightful power. The Tempest is a play that deals with themes of illusion, forgiveness, and colonization. Prospero creates numerous false realities in order to enact his plan and restore his power. His magic, often referred to as "art" learned from "books," is commonly equated to Shakespeare's power as a playwright. This association has led some to read The Tempest as an autobiographical work representing Shakespeare's farewell to the stage. Although such a reading is often challenged as unfounded, sentimental, or simplistic, the link between Prospero's magic and the power of art remains strong. Johnston explains:
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The theatre -- that magical world of poetry, song, illusion, pleasing and
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threat ening apparitions -- can, like Prospero's magic, educate us into a better
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sense of ourselves, into a final acceptance of the world, a state in which we for
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give and forget in the interests of the greater human community. The theatre,
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that is, can reconcile us to the joys of the human community so that we do not
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destroy our families in a search for righting past evils in a spirit of personal
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revenge or as crude assertions of our own egos.
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In addition to the restorative power of art, Johnson points out the theme of forgiveness, seen in Prospero's decision to take pity on those who have wronged him and find themselves trapped on his island, utterly at his mercy. Urged by Ariel, Prospero realizes that "the rarer action is / in virtue than in vengeance" and forgoes the revenge available to him (V.i.27-28). Finally, the play raises significant questions regarding power and colonization. Prospero is a powerful European who, after finding himself shipwrecked on the island, unsuccessfully attempts to educate and successfully enslaves the island's sole indigenous inhabitant. Shakespeare's portrayal of Caliban been featured in postcolonial criticism that highlights his "colonized" status and savage depiction in the play. Student engagement with questions of art, forgiveness, and colonization is central to this unit of study.
