Human And Abuse Power In Shakespeare's The Tempest

Decent Essays
Humans, by nature, desire to attain power: evidence of this lying in the multitudes of text, where this concept is explored, over the course of human history. Power dynamics exist everywhere, defining the structure of our very society. The ability to place one human being over another and to control them — a terrifying, yet very realistic idea. In The Tempest, we are presented with a few narratives that explore this in detail, the obvious ones being those of Stephano, Trinculo & Caliban and Sebastian & Antonio. However, there is one narrative that truly explores and displays the ability of humans to attain and abuse power. Laid for the readers to see in plain sight, yet rarely discussed, it is the story of Prospero and his kingdom on the island. …show more content…
He went to such lengths for his guests, going above and beyond the call of duty of the typical party host. Most hosts would just plug an MP3 player into a set of cheap speakers, set out a few bowls of chips, throw up last minute decorations, and relax, but Prospero went the extra mile. He made a theme for his party, a narrative that seemed like it could be a secret draft from a season of Lost. He creates a fake shipwreck, followed by the separation of his guests (to force mingling among groups and to avoid poor chemistry between certain individuals), and then watches it all unfold. What a great way to exercise power it is, to grant people the feeling of free will when it is truly not; playing God. The island is his playground and the new guests are his playthings, not to mention that he holds power over such important beings as Alonso, Ariel, Ferdinand, and other various lords. In the end, however, as most power trips end, they end poorly. Poorly for us as the readers, as it’s boring, humanizing, and leaves people with a sense of happiness and closure. Prospero opts to relinquish his power like anyone with a solid moral compass would, which is actually an option that very few are presented with. It is with this that Prospero commits his most powerful act: abandoning all power. Only people with power can abandon it, …show more content…
We read stories to explore parts of humanity that we do not see on a daily basis, and to enter worlds that are otherwise inaccessible to us. In the end, Prospero acted too human, and though it was a nice ending, it left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. It was an expected ending, one where everyone is pleased and no one’s story is left unfinished. Writing holds a substantial amount of power in this way, with the ability to complete multiple narratives simultaneously and efficiently. However, writing also holds power that appeals less to most: the ability to make someone so angry with a character and their morally good choices. We just want to see people gain power! We live out our power fantasies through books, movies, stories and shows. Prospero takes that desire to become powerful, chokes it at the neck, and throws it at the ground. However, it was most likely to our benefit that he stopped at the point in time that he did. Moderation is key,

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