Friday, January 27, 2012

The Tempest: Not A Tumultuous Ending

Reading The Tempest was an adventure. I can say, like Miranda, "O, I have suffered with those that I saw suffer." I loved the journey, but I especially loved the ending.  Prospero had put his brother through an ordeal with the tempest, the shipwreck, and the spirits that he controlled. This most people would say is his way of getting revenge on his brother (his brother Antonio usurped the dukedom of Milan from him). Even though he has the opportunity to, we do not see Prospero killing his brother, instead just lets him off the hook. He does take Milan back, but no one gets killed and the family returns to Italy together.
I found that this ending reminded me a lot of a biblical story. Joseph of Egypt did about the same. He put his brothers through an ordeal to see their characters. When he saw that his brothers had learned their lesson and that they felt remorse, Joseph revealed himself and the family was reunited. This happy ending was a good example of a traditional romantic story by Shakespeare.

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