"The Tempest" Critiqued

Paper Summary:

The play, "The Tempest" by Shakespeare, has elicited many and varied responses. Some believe that Shakespeare wrote the play to symbolize himself in Prospero. As Prospero is bidding farewell to his magician's staff, Shakespeare is bidding farewell to his magical pen. Some critics have emphasized the romantic and comic elements in the play, while others disagree by emphasizing the tragic. This paper presents a discussion of two such opinions, followed by a discussion of the play with these opinions in mind. The critics examined are E.M.W. Tillyard ("The Tragic Pattern") and J. Warton ("Amazing Wildness of Fancy").

From the Paper:

"The further tragedy of Prospero's life unfolds. He had once been the Duke of Milan, trusted and respected by all his subjects. His main mistake was however that he failed to give sufficient attention to his politics, and that he trusted the wrong people. His mind was occupied by intellectual pursuits, mainly of the supernatural kind, and thus he freed some time for himself by delegating the tediosness of government to his brother, Antonio. Prospero's naivete in doing this is another typical element of tragedy. His brother thus takes advantage of the opportunity to further his own ambitions. Naivety and pride therefore work together for a tragic result."

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