Near the end of his career, Shakespeare’s plays became more
predominantly classified as Romance. Upon analyzing The Tempest, it is clear that many of these romantic aspects are
present. When compared to the other romances written by Shakespeare, all of
these plays had elements of magic and the fantastic, a long, wandering journey,
and an obsession with loss and recovery. In The
Tempest, Prospero is a magician capable of creating a tempest and even
controlling a spirit which he sends to complete missions across the island.
Although the course of The Tempest
takes place in one day, the play explains how Prospero and Miranda were kicked
out of Milan and sent to sea where they end up landing on a remote island. Eventually, after many years on the island, Prospero and Miranda are able to
return to Italy with the rest of the marooned crew from the ship. Although Prospero loses his kingdom in Milan and twelve years of his life, he later
gains a new son-in-law. While Prospero spends most of his time focused on what he has lost, he finally is able to recover near the end making him one of the most dynamic characters in the play.
Not only that, but a romance play is defined as “…a new kind
of play, a hybrid of comic and tragic elements…” which Shakespeare only managed
to write four of (Schwartz). In his last
play, The Tempest, our comic relief
is presented through Trinuclo and Stephano as they are drunk during the initial
meeting which lightens the mood. Not only that, but there are puns presented
throughout the play which also add more comedic aspects to the play, “Dolour
comes to him, indeed: you have spoken truer than you proposed” (Act 2 Scene 1).
While Gonzalo, Alonso, and Sebastian and talking about their current situation
and how they survived the horrible tempest, Gonzalo’s wit is put to good use as
the topic changes to money and Gonzalo states money is not the only thing being
received, but also dolor. There are many tragic aspects present as well,
specifically concerning Prospero as his kingdom was not only stolen from him by
his own brother, but he also spent many years of his life at sea trying to
survive. In turn, Shakespeare’s last play should be considered a romance and
not simply a tragedy as it has tragic events and comical situations.
Works Cited
Schwartz, Debora B. “Shakespeare’s Four Final Plays: The
Romances.” 2005. Web. 13 January 2015.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tempest.” n.p. n.d. Web. 13
January 2015.
Interesting post. However, I would have to disagree with you on the basis of "comic relief." It's true that Stephano and Trinculo carry through a humorous storyline, however, their status as comic relief characters is not the justification for romance. In all of Shakespeare's plays (tragedies, comedies, and romances alike) there are characters that represent some form of comic relief. I think what distinguishes Stephano and Trinculo from Shakespeare's other comic characters is that fact that their story goes hand in hand with the overarching plot, whereas other characters are often tangential from the actual story. Thus, Stephano and Trinculo's adventure should be strictly viewed as a sub-plot as opposed to comic relief. After all, it is the sub-plot that is a defining characteristic of romance. Overall, I agree with your conclusion however your warrant needs re-examination.
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