Question

discuss two themes in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. How does the author develop these two themes over the course of the play? Be sure to include specific examples from the play to support your answer

Answer 1

Answer: The two themes present in this play are:

1. freedom and subordination
2. the supernatural

Explanation:

The Tempest is Shakespeare's play about a magician named Prospero. He has been banished from his dukedom and arrives on an enchanted island together with his daughter. Prospero was preoccupied with his books and magic, and he neglected his state duties.

1. On the island, Prospero imprisons Caliban, a strange creature that tries to take his daughter's innocence. Caliban becomes Prospero's slave, and Prospero teaches him language and forces him to carry out certain tasks for him. The only native on the island, Caliban becomes a slave and loses his freedom. Ariel, Prospero's servant, certainly has more freedom than Caliban, but is also under Prospero's control and reminds him that he promised him freedom: "Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains...."
2. The theme of supernatural is present from the very beginning of the play. The tempest itself is a product of Prospero's wizardry. His magic gives him power and enables him to take revenge on his enemies. But magic is also Prospero's main weakness, as his preoccupation with it resulted in his failure as a ruler. Apart from Prospero, Ariel also uses magic to carry out his tasks. By creating magic, Ariel makes people fall asleep, creates music, and does all those "funny tricks." After all, this is an enchanted island, and Caliban perfectly describes it in one of the most famous lines from this play: "The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not....."