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Shira Woolf The Tempest Essay Points
ESSAY ABOUT PROSPERO
‘thy father was the Duke of Milan, and a prince of power’
‘Prospero the prime duke’ à the best
He is obsessed with the ‘bettering of [his] mind’ he poured all of his time and effort into his ‘art’
He became the ‘the wronged duke of Milan’
BACKGROUND CAN BE CALLED A STORY OF ‘SEA-SORROW
LINKS TO RELATIONSHIP WITH ANTONIO
‘reputed in dignity and for the liberal arts without parallel’. He was such a great scholar that no one
was able to match him.
Prospero hands the ruling of Milan to his bother because he is too tied up in his studies à ‘The
government I cast upon my brother’ à the business of government is left to Antonio because he
trusted him.
Antonio gained ‘the key’ à power and control à he took over Milan with the help of Alonso (king of
Naples) à ‘The king of Naples, being an enemy’ (Prospero’s and Alonso’s personal rivalry). Antonio
becomes = ‘perfidious’ (deceitful, untrustworthy, duplicitous)
At the start Prospero’s ‘library was [his] dukedom large enough’ that changed as Antonio gained the
power of ‘absolute Milan’
A rotten boat was ‘prepared’ for Prospero and Miranda. No sail or mast. They were set adrift at the
mercy of the elements and even the wind began to feel sorry for them. Very sad image created.
ARRIVAL ON THE ISLAND
Prosper and Miranda have lived here for 12 years
Ariel is the servant to Prospero’s mind, magic and art. Caliban is the slave to Prospero’s physical
needs. Both are essential to Prospero’s survival on the island.
Prospero arrived on the island by chance, but as events play out, he starts to fulfil the role of coloniser
(it was not his original intention)à he states that there is no ‘human shape’ on the island
PROSPEROS RELATIONSHIP WITH CALIBAN
Power of master over ‘slave’ à Prospero believes Caliban was ‘got by the devil himself’ and is pure
evil
Caliban was already present on the island when Prospero and Miranda arrived he was born as the
offspring of the ‘foul which Sycorax’. He is known as ‘a freckled whelp, hag born’
At first ‘beast’ Caliban was ‘[his] own king’ then Prospero came and ‘cheated [Caliban] of the island’
à referred to him as his ‘slave’ and Caliban believed that he must ‘obey his art of such power’ and he
must ‘kiss thy foot’
Shira Woolf The Tempest Essay Points
ESSAY ABOUT PROSPERO
‘thy father was the Duke of Milan, and a prince of power’
‘Prospero the prime duke’ à the best
He is obsessed with the ‘bettering of [his] mind’ he poured all of his time and effort into his ‘art’
He became the ‘the wronged duke of Milan’
BACKGROUND CAN BE CALLED A STORY OF ‘SEA-SORROW
LINKS TO RELATIONSHIP WITH ANTONIO
‘reputed in dignity and for the liberal arts without parallel’. He was such a great scholar that no one
was able to match him.
Prospero hands the ruling of Milan to his bother because he is too tied up in his studies à ‘The
government I cast upon my brother’ à the business of government is left to Antonio because he
trusted him.
Antonio gained ‘the key’ à power and control à he took over Milan with the help of Alonso (king of
Naples) à ‘The king of Naples, being an enemy’ (Prospero’s and Alonso’s personal rivalry). Antonio
becomes = ‘perfidious’ (deceitful, untrustworthy, duplicitous)
At the start Prospero’s ‘library was [his] dukedom large enough’ that changed as Antonio gained the
power of ‘absolute Milan’
A rotten boat was ‘prepared’ for Prospero and Miranda. No sail or mast. They were set adrift at the
mercy of the elements and even the wind began to feel sorry for them. Very sad image created.
ARRIVAL ON THE ISLAND
Prosper and Miranda have lived here for 12 years
Ariel is the servant to Prospero’s mind, magic and art. Caliban is the slave to Prospero’s physical
needs. Both are essential to Prospero’s survival on the island.
Prospero arrived on the island by chance, but as events play out, he starts to fulfil the role of coloniser
(it was not his original intention)à he states that there is no ‘human shape’ on the island
PROSPEROS RELATIONSHIP WITH CALIBAN
Power of master over ‘slave’ à Prospero believes Caliban was ‘got by the devil himself’ and is pure
evil
Caliban was already present on the island when Prospero and Miranda arrived he was born as the
offspring of the ‘foul which Sycorax’. He is known as ‘a freckled whelp, hag born’
At first ‘beast’ Caliban was ‘[his] own king’ then Prospero came and ‘cheated [Caliban] of the island’
à referred to him as his ‘slave’ and Caliban believed that he must ‘obey his art of such power’ and he
must ‘kiss thy foot’
