The Theme Of Authority In Shakespeare's The Tempest

In Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, Shakespeare introduces the themes of authority, and the control that comes with it, as well as uncertainty. In the play, these themes, as well as the distinction between them, are evoked by the dramatic events of the play and the character’s reactions towards them, such as when Antonio usurped Prospero from his throne, when Prospero conjured up the Tempest to bring the people on the boat to his island, and when Prospero was upset later in the play when he found out about the hostile plan that Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano instigated. One notices throughout the play how Prospero establishes his power and control through the use of his magic. This brings up the theme of magic, as well as lying, deception, …show more content…
These moments evoke uncertainty in what the audience is supposed to feel since they express such contrasting views on their respective issues. This contrasting, if not conflicting, sentiment of uncertainty is best expressed and observed when one looks at the play in chronological order, even though there is no explicit mention of clocks of any sorts throughout the entire play. In the beginning of the play, Antonio usurps Prospero when Prospero is obsessed with magic, and this causes the audience to feel pity for Prospero. Later in the play, Prospero uses magic to control virtually every aspect on the island, which lines up with Prospero’s idea of power, as Orgel claims in the introduction, “Power, … , is not inherited, but self-created: it is magic, or ‘art’” (Intro 36). When Prospero is in control on the island, it brings up the question of legitimacy, and confuses the audience regarding who to be sympathetic. This is the case because Prospero lost everything he had due to Antonio’s usurpation, but Prospero, by virtue of his ability to rule, did the same thing to Caliban, who derived his claim to the island from inheritance. Now there is a conflict between Prospero and Caliban, which shifts the audience’s emotions away from feeling sympathy for Prospero, in turn further evoking the ambiguity that leaves the audience uncomfortable since they do not know who to side with. Overall, this shift in power throughout the play, as a result of Prospero’s magic, is necessary to understand before one analyzes the epilogue, since the speaker asks for forgiveness, it is more clear why they ask now. Given that the epilogue speaker is not one hundred percent