The magic in The Tempest was able to create
many abnormal happenings as well as different feelings that are shown through
the characters of Milan. There were two
different types of magic that were shown one was represented by witches and
wizards, this type of magic was not the beneficial type of magic. The beneficial type of magic was created by
studies that were done in secret and used to discover new forces, and to study
the greater effects of physics. All this
magic that took place results in many of the illusions that were created on the
island.
There are many illusions that seem to happen
quite frequently, while the shipwrecked persons of Milan were on the island
that was created by Prospero's powers.
Many of these encounters may not even be illusions but figments of their
imagination as well as hallucinations.
While others tend to happen because of the magic that Prospero creates
with his mind. The spirits of the air
are the highest type these include Ariel, Ceres, Iris, Juno, as well as the
nymphs. Each part of the magic
symbolizes a certain part of the island.
The spirits of the air I have already mentioned another type would be
the spirits of the earth. These would
include the goblins, the dogs and hounds that were used to disease Caliban and
his associates. (: "Our natures do
pursue, Like rats that ravin down their proper bane, A thirsty evil; and when
we drink we die. [Act 1, sc. 2]) Another
form of the earth spirits would be the nymphs (Prospero: "Go make yourself
like a nymph o' th' sea. Be subject To no sight but thine and mine, invisible to
every eyeball else. Go take this shape
and hither come in't. Go! Hence with diligence! Exit[Ariel] .
Awake, dear heart, awake! Thou
hast slept well. Awake!{act 1, sc. 2}
Out if Prosperos' anger he creates a vicious
storm at sea causing the ship to become shipwrecked on his very own
island. He uses this as an advantage to
make the island as a task for all the Millan characters to find
themselves. This would be their task as
they are on the island. Prospero uses
some of his most intriguing magic spells to manipulate his guests that will be
staying on the island. The people are
aware of the power that the island holds but they are unaware that Prospero is
in existence at this point. Part of the
manipulation process that Prospero creates is gaining the trust amongst the
many people that have become ship wrecked.
Prospero: "Tis time I should
inform thee farther. Lend thy hand. . .
For thou must know farther."(act 1, sc. 2)
After this they are like prisoners on his island and do anything for
him.
The island itself is illusory. It is Prospero's and its warm tropical
climate alone would make someone think they were dreaming.
Another main part of the illusions would be
Ariel and its fairy friends. Ariel was
shown throughout the play. It created
music, and could fly freely about the island.
Ariel could form all aspects of fire, air, earth, and water. Fire was shown through lightning and in forms
of flames. Water spirits appear in the
Naiads and also the elves of the brooks and streams. Its spirit in air would be shown by how Ariel
can glide through the air freely. The
characters could not always see Ariel but most definitively heard it. Ariel and the other spirits were also able to
transform themselves into different paraphernalia. In doing this they were able to watch the
people and guide them in order to find their inner spirits.
As the spirits flew about they were able to
control the fate on the island. The
humans in this play had no authority as to the fate that occurred on the
island, and had to rely on the spirits.
As for Caliban, he had a different form, but he
still was the mercy of the spirits.
Caliban's destination was directed by the nymphs and other
creatures. Prospero: "For this, be
sure, tonight thou shalt have cramps, side-stiches that shall pen thy breath
up. Urchins shall, for that vast night
that they may work, all exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinched as thick as
honeycomb, each pinch more stinging than bees that made' em." (act 1, sc.
2)[Prospero talking to Caliban]
Caliban was also related to the many illusions
that were created on the island. Many of
the people that were in the shipwreck had never seen a creature that was quite
as ugly as Caliban. Many of them thought
that there could be no such thing as a beast as ugly as Caliban. In fact Caliban was a gentle creature with
human feelings.
Shakespeare greatly emphasized on how freely
the spirits could fly through and about the island, making it haunted. The spirits symbolized our fate in life and
how we have no idea were the path is going to take us, and what road we will
travel down. You can't fight reality or
fate away, just like the characters in The Tempest couldn't fight away the
spirits. In some cases the spirits and
illusions helped the people but in other situations the matters at hand became
worse. You have to believe in fate and
freedom for any of it to come true, you must believe in the spirits in order
for them to do anything for you. It may
not even be a force of nature that creates these illusions it is in fact you
yourself that has to make them come alive, you must believe in them. It is important for people to believe in some
thing's that are unbelievable to others, and vice versa. They must do this because it in turn helps
them to believe in themselves.
By: Brad Fletcher
(c)1996
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