Themes (OCR A-Level English Literature): Revision Notes

Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. In The Tempest, Shakespeare weaves together multiple interconnected themes that examine justice, power, humanity, and morality. These themes create a complex exploration of what it means to be human and how power affects relationships.

The illusion of justice

The Tempest presents a straightforward revenge story: Prospero seeks to regain his dukedom after his brother Antonio usurped his throne. However, the play questions whether true justice is ever achieved, as Prospero's version of justice appears highly subjective and self-serving.

Prospero's hypocritical justice

Whilst Prospero positions himself as a victim seeking to right wrongs, his actions reveal significant hypocrisy. He condemns Antonio for stealing his power, yet he shows no hesitation in enslaving both Ariel and Caliban to achieve his goals. Prospero's concept of justice centres entirely on what benefits him personally, creating moral ambiguity throughout the play.

Justice and artistic creation

As the play develops, it increasingly focuses on creativity and art. Prospero's role mirrors that of an author constructing a narrative, and when we view him as Shakespeare's surrogate, his pursuit of justice becomes more sympathetic. Just as playwrights arrange events to reflect their own moral vision, Prospero manipulates circumstances to impose his view of what is right.

Through magic and theatrical tricks - echoing the special effects of Jacobean theatre - Prospero gradually convinces other characters and the audience that his cause is just. By the play's conclusion, when he forgives his enemies, frees his servants, and abandons his magic, he transforms into simply an old man whose work has created entertainment. The resolution suggests that happy endings in art depend entirely on the artist's imagination and moral vision, rather than reflecting real-world justice.

The difficulty of distinguishing "men" from "monsters"

Shakespeare deliberately blurs the boundary between human and monster, forcing audiences to question what defines humanity.

Caliban's ambiguous nature

When Miranda first sees Ferdinand, she describes him as the third man she has ever encountered (I.ii.449), implying the other two are Prospero and Caliban. However, Miranda and Prospero's treatment of Caliban suggests they view him as less than human. Miranda recalls teaching Caliban language when previously he sounded like "like / A thing most brutish" (I.ii.359-360), whilst Prospero claims he showed Caliban "human care" (I.ii.349), suggesting Caliban did not deserve such treatment.

Prospero later describes Caliban as a "devil, a born devil, on whose nature / Nurture can never stick" (IV.i.188-189), arguing that education cannot overcome Caliban's inherent brutishness. Similarly, Miranda states that Caliban's "vile race" contained something that "good natures / Could not abide to be with" (I.ii.361-363), suggesting his inhuman qualities overwhelm any civilising influence.

Conflicting perspectives

The play presents contradictory evidence about Caliban's humanity. Caliban claims he treated Prospero kindly upon his arrival, only to be imprisoned in return (I.ii.347). Prospero counters that he turned against Caliban after Caliban attempted to rape Miranda (I.ii.347-351). The audience must decide whether to view Caliban as inherently savage or as brutalised by oppression.

Questioning human monstrosity

Trinculo's reaction upon first encountering Caliban (II.ii.18-38) - the longest speech in the play - provides crucial commentary. He imagines displaying Caliban in England for profit, noting that people "will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar" but "will lay out ten to see a dead Indian" (II.ii.28-31). Here, the true monstrosity lies not in Caliban's appearance but in the cruel voyeurism of those who would exploit him. Shakespeare suggests that human cruelty may be more monstrous than physical difference.

The allure of ruling a colony

The uninhabited island represents unlimited possibility for nearly every character who arrives there, revealing their colonial ambitions and desire for power.

Different visions of rule

Multiple characters envision themselves ruling the island:

• Prospero uses its isolation to educate Miranda
• Sycorax (Caliban's mother) practised magic there after her exile from Algeria
• Caliban laments losing his sovereignty, having once been his own king (I.ii.344-345)
• Gonzalo imagines creating a utopian society where he would rule (II.i.148-156)
• Stephano dreams of kingship with Miranda as his queen and Trinculo as his viceroy (III.ii.101-103)

Each character views the island as a space for freedom and unrealised potential, particularly the opportunity to exercise power without restraint.

Critique of colonialism

However, Shakespeare treats these colonial fantasies with scepticism. When Gonzalo describes his ideal society with no commerce, work, or "sovereignty", Sebastian and Antonio point out the contradiction: "yet he would be king on't" and "The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning" (II.i.156-157). Gonzalo's vision involves ruling whilst pretending not to rule, making him a parody of Prospero himself.

The colonised are represented by Caliban alone. Whilst we might initially sympathise with him when Prospero torments him with spirits, this sympathy becomes complicated by his willingness to degrade himself before Stephano (Act II, scene ii). Even as Caliban plots to kill one colonial master (Prospero) in Act III, scene ii, he immediately accepts another (Stephano). The play suggests that the desire to rule and the desire to be ruled are inextricably linked, creating a cycle of oppression.

Prospero's threats

Throughout the play, Prospero maintains control through intimidation and threats, revealing his violent and cruel nature.

Magical threats

Prospero's threats typically involve magical punishment. He warns Caliban: "If thou neglect'st or dost unwillingly / What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps, / Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar" (I.ii.). Even Ariel, his faithful servant, receives harsh threats. When Ariel reminds Prospero of his promise of freedom, Prospero responds: "If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak / And peg thee in his knotty entrails" (I.ii.).

Linking to tyranny

His threats reveal that despite his claims to moral superiority, he maintains power through fear and violence, much like the brother who usurped him.

Obedience and disobedience

The themes of obedience and disobedience reveal the island's power hierarchy and its instability.

Prospero's demands for obedience

As both former Duke of Milan and master of magic, Prospero stands at the top of the island's hierarchy. He demands complete obedience from everyone: his servants (Ariel and Caliban) and his daughter Miranda. However, each subject disobeys him at some point, undermining his absolute authority.

Complex forms of disobedience

Different acts of disobedience reveal varying degrees of rebellion:

• Caliban's rebellion: Swears allegiance to Stephano, attempting to overthrow the hierarchy entirely
• Miranda's romance: Believes she disobeys by pursuing Ferdinand, but actually fulfils her father's secret wishes, as Prospero's harsh treatment of Ferdinand is designed to make Miranda fall in love with him
• Ariel's request: Despite faithful service, Prospero considers Ariel disobedient merely for asking for his promised freedom

Treason

Shakespeare weaves betrayal throughout the play, from its backstory through to hints about the future.

Historical treason

The play's central conflict stems from Antonio's treason: he conspired with King Alonso to assassinate Prospero and steal the dukedom of Milan. This act represents both political treason and familial betrayal, establishing the pattern for subsequent treachery.

Contemporary plots

Two parallel assassination plots develop during the play:

• Caliban and Stephano plot to murder Prospero and seize control of the island
• Antonio and Sebastian plan to kill Alonso and take control of Naples

Both plots are interrupted before causing harm, yet their existence emphasises how treasonous impulses pervade the play's world.

Future implications

Even after these plots fail, treason remains thematically present. The final scene features Miranda and Ferdinand playing chess, a game won through metaphorically assassinating the opponent's king. When Miranda accuses Ferdinand of cheating, she recalls how her uncle Antonio cheated his way to power twelve years earlier.

Wonder and admiration

These themes centre on Miranda, whose Latin name literally means both "wonderful" and "admirable". She represents optimism and hope within a play focused on past wrongs.

Miranda as symbol of hope

In a narrative dominated by negative emotions about betrayal and revenge, Miranda's outlook provides a beacon of optimism. Ferdinand recognises her admirable qualities immediately, exclaiming "O you wonder!" (I.ii.) upon first meeting her. He later praises her perfection: "O you, / So perfect and so peerless, are created / Of every creature's best!" (III.i.).

Apart from Gonzalo, Miranda most clearly symbolises faith in new beginnings and a better future - what she famously calls a "brave new world". Her youth and innocence contrast sharply with the older characters' cynicism and bitterness.

The darker side of wonder

However, wonder carries a more sinister connotation in the play. Under Prospero's command and Ariel's magic, the island becomes a place of wonderful but disorienting occurrences. In Act V, Prospero comments that Alonso and his companions have experienced many wonderful visions that prevent clear thinking. In this context, wonder serves as a tool for manipulation rather than genuine enlightenment.

Monstrosity

Monstrosity functions as the inverse of wonder and admiration, applying primarily to Caliban whilst wonder applies to Miranda.

Caliban as spectacle

The word "monster" appears most frequently in scenes featuring Stephano and Trinculo. Upon first seeing Caliban, Trinculo identifies him as a fishy-looking freak and immediately imagines exploiting his appearance for profit. He envisions "holiday fools" willingly paying "a piece of silver" to witness such a sideshow attraction.

Beyond physical appearance

Caliban's monstrosity derives not only from his looks but from the jarring contrast between his savage appearance and his civilised language. Trinculo expresses surprise that a creature like Caliban would use respectful terms like "Lord". This incongruity - between brutish exterior and eloquent speech - defines Caliban's monstrous characterization more than either quality alone.

Expanding the concept

Although Caliban serves as the primary example of monstrosity, Alonso also uses "monstrous" to describe illusory sounds and visions created by Ariel. This broader application suggests that monstrosity encompasses anything that defies natural order or understanding, not merely physical difference.

The theme of monstrosity ultimately asks audiences to consider what truly makes something or someone monstrous: appearance, behaviour, or perhaps society's reaction to difference.

Remember!