William Shakespeare ] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist.He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
William Shakespeare ] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist.He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Caliban
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play or actually a Drama on the expelled Duke of Milan Prospero and his daughter Miranda. the Duke uses who uses his magical powers to punish his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore.he entire play takes place on an island under his control whose native inhabitants, Ariel and Caliban respectively aid or hinder his work.
The magician Prospero, rightful Duke of Milan, and his daughter, Miranda, have been stranded for twelve years on an island after Prospero's jealous brother Antonio—helped by Alonso, the King of Naples—deposed him and set him adrift with the then three-year-old Miranda. Gonzalo, the King's counsellor, had secretly supplied their boat with plenty of food, water, clothes and the most-prized books from Prospero's library. Possessing magic powers due to his great learning, Prospero is reluctantly served by a spirit, Ariel, whom Prospero had rescued from a tree in which he had been trapped by the Algerian witch Sycorax. Prospero maintains Ariel's loyalty by repeatedly promising to release the "airy spirit" from servitude. Sycorax had been banished to this island, and had died before Prospero's arrival.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Sycorax
In The Tempest, Shakespeare presents two powerful sorcerers, Sycorax and Prospero, who have both controlled the island. Initially it appears that the two characters are a contrasting pair: the benevolent Prospero and the rapacious Sycorax. However, upon closer analysis, the differences between the two characters disappear and the similarities grow. For example, Prospero, like Sycorax, coerces Ariel into doing his bidding, using the sprite to regain his inheritance as a Duke. The fine line between Sycorax's black magic and Prospero's white blurs even further during his renunciation of magic in Act V, a speech which has strong parallels to one given by the dark witchMedea in the Metamorphoses. In comparing himself to Medea, Prospero is implicitly comparing himself to Sycorax. Emphasizing the relationship between Prospero and Sycorax demonstrates the ambiguity of Prospero's supposedly benevolent character.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
