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... is audience. He will be free to retire when they have applauded his efforts one last time, once he has indulged their pleasures for the final performance. The magic of the island stage originates from a source that is present as an airy spirit, Ariel. The name Ariel has a Hebrew meaning of lion of God, the messenger. Ariel becomes the allegorical representation of the magic of the theatre, the magic that can exist nowhere other than the stage.
Just as a playwright holds jurisdiction over the magic within the play, Prospero serves as master to Ariel, and she in return does his behest. Ariel acts as messenger throughout the play, serving Prospero devotedly in return for her freedom from the tree in which Sycorax enslaved her. Though Prospero uses Ariel throughout the play, he liberates her before his return to Naples. Prospero merely says, I shall miss thee, but yet thou shalt have freedom and requests that Ariel guide him back to Naples securely. The release of Ariel validates that, though magic is only probable within the theater, it will stay within you as it accompanies you home contained within your memories. The evil witch Sycorax, though not a character within the play, commands an important role.
She is the one whom enslaves Ariel (the magic force of the island), whom she finds useless, within a cloven pine. Though the witch never materializes in the play, she becomes the allegorical representation of a bad playwright, the opposite of Shakespeare. It is Sycorax that cannot learn to utilize the magic of her stage, and therefore fails miserably in alluring her audience. The Tempest begins with an actual tempest, a storm created by Prospero, to draw his adversaries near. It is this storm that starts the chain of action in the play, which eventually leads up to the resolution of justice. The fact that this tempest is not a mere storm created by Mother Nature suggests a bit about it.
The tempest comes to symbolize the twists and turns within a play, and the illusions that are often discovered by the viewer. This storm goes to attest that all in theatre is not what it seems, and that one event can drastically change the suspected outcome. The viewer of The Tempest is introduced early on to Ferdinand, son to the King of Naples. As soon as Ferdinand lands on the isle, he is taken aback by Miranda (Prospero's daughter), and quickly falls in love. In an undertaking to prove his love for Miranda is true, Ferdinand takes the job of island slaves and begins to move logs. He claims, but the mistress which I serve quickens whats dead and makes my labors pleasures.
Hauling logs becomes Ferdinand's manner of courting Miranda, thus causing her to fall into a zealous love with him. Ferdinand's arduous undertakings resemble closely the acts of the cast and crew of a Shakespearian play, doing all that is in their power to delight the audience. They find no joy in anything other than serving their audience. If Ferdinand serves as the cast and crew with the responsibility of pleasing the audience, then one could effortlessly say that Miranda functions as the audience. Miranda is depicted as the innocent and chaste daughter of the magician Prospero. Her virginity comes to define her role throughout the tale, while her innocence serves as her cardinal virtue.
The viewer could associate this to the innocence of an audience before viewing a play for the first time. Before the play is ever seen the audience members are virgins to that play, the actors have not enlightened their ignorance, much as Ferdinand has not enlightened Miranda's ignorance of sexual pleasures. Thus, the only character remaining is the monster Caliban. Throughout the play, the reader is never quite sure of Caliban and what he stands for. Though his monstrous appearance and evil ways show him as harsh, his speech remains among the most beautiful in the tale. Who or what is it that Caliban comes to represent?
Perhaps the best way to look at this character is in his relations with the others in the tale. The reader is informed that there was a type of falling out between Prospero and his servant Caliban after the attempted rape of Miranda by the monster. The readers also become aware of the power struggle between the wizard and his slave, each claiming the island to be his paradise, and each trying to rid themselves of the other. Conceivably Caliban comes to represent the plays critic, sometimes harsh and brutal, but other times glorifying the work of the playwright.
This would explain the beauty behind the speech of the monster, though his outer shell may be harsh, inside he speaks of the beauty and charm of the stage, the isle paradise. The rape of Miranda can also be explained using Caliban as the critic. Miranda's innocence is disrupted by the evil thoughts of Caliban, much as the innocence of an audience can be disturbed after reading harsh words from a critic. Many may become disenchanted about a play, merely by focusing on what the critic may have to say about it. A reader of The Tempest can easily see how Shakespeare uses the characters of his final play to say farewell to his audience for the last time.
It can be assumed that Shakespeare found this type of farewell to be the most appropriate form to give to the followers of his theatre. What better way to say goodbye then through what they desire, his genius? By writing an allegorical look at the life of theatre as a final tribute, not only is Shakespeare saying goodbye in a classy way, he is also paying respects to those whom he leaves behind. One thing is certain: Shakespeare will always live on within the dreams and hopes of those who read his work. After all, as put by Prospero himself, We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with sleep. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Caliban Comes To Represent Innocence Of An Audience Play
