tem-pest |ˈtempist|
nouna violent windy storm.That is how my Mac defines "tempest." A violent, windy storm. Today, I am beginning to read Shakespeare's play by the same name, The Tempest.
As per my usual pre-play reading, I visited PinkMonkey.com to read a synopsis of the play. It seems interesting. An aspect of Shakespeare that seems to be continually making appearances in the plays that I have been reading is spectacle. I don't think The Tempest will be an exception. Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, dwells on an enchanted island and rules over it as a magician. Surely this will yield much in the way of spectacle.
What are most interesting to me, however, are the parallels between the story of The Tempest and the story of Joseph who was sold into Egypt in the Book of Genesis. In that story, Joseph's brothers are jealous of Joseph because he is favored of their father, Jacob. So, they devise a plot of rid themselves of their brother. They dig a pit and place Joseph within it until a caravan passes nearby and they sell him as a slave. Taking his colorful coat, Joseph's brothers put the blood of an animal on it and convince their father that Joseph has been killed.
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| Joseph sold into Egypt, via varsinainen.blogspot.com |
Many years later, there is a famine in the land of Joseph's brothers. Hearing that there is food to be had in Egypt, his brothers travel there to seek relief for their family. When they arrive, Joseph is an advisor to Pharaoh and holds power in Egypt second only to the Pharaoh himself. Joseph, however, does not reveal his identity to his brothers but instead tests them to determine their repentance. Knowing that his brothers were before jealous of himself because he was favored by their father, Joseph demands that they leave their brother Benjamin behind when they return to the land of their father. His brothers, however, beg Joseph to allow them to take Benjamin, saying that he is beloved of their father. They offer much in return for his allowing Benjamin to return with them, even offering to stay themselves instead. Through this, Joseph is able to know that they have repented of their past jealousy and actions, so he reveals his identity and forgives his brothers for what they had done to him.
Similarly, in The Tempest, Prospero is the former Duke of Milan who was overthrown by his brother, Antonio, and Alonso, the king of Naples and was banished from the land. In an attempt to bring about their repentance, Prospero uses his newly learned skills as a magician to cause a ship carrying Alonso, Antonio, and others to crash on the enchanted island that he now rules and, through a series of events, eventually causes those that wronged him to repent. Prospero finds great joy in this and forgives them, and even solemnizes a marriage between the son of Alonso and his own daughter. Everything is made right in the end.
I like this parallel, and I like the concept of reconciliation via repentance and forgiveness that is prevalent in it. I wonder if Shakespeare referenced the story of Joseph here? In any case, the ability of Prospero to use magic to bring all this about will no doubt prove entertaining.
P.S. As usual, here are some interesting collateral for different presentations of The Tempest:
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| via ign.com |
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| via brooklyncenter.com |
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| via takitizy.blogspot.com |
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| via pbs.org |
Bible comparisons are always a good thing in literature. I didn't make this connection when reading The Tempest, but it makes sense with the themes of repentance, especially when the Joseph story is allegorized as a type of Christ. This post reminded me of our class discussion when we explored Christian themes in Shakespeare, and that they show up in plays that are not especially Christian.
ReplyDeleteGood point. I had forgotten about that, but you're right. Especially here, as the idea of magic would certainly appall some with Christian values. Funnily enough, in my conclusion to my post, I mentioned the concepts of repentance and forgiveness and then mentioned that I thought that Prospero's use of magic would be entertaining. Yet, these ideas do not go together in a traditional Christian sense. Nevertheless, Shakespeare combines them. I wonder why he does it this way? Is there a specific reason? Does he do it in order to counteract each and thus neutralize any sort of Christian theme? Interesting...
ReplyDeleteMaybe because magic is mysterious or isn't fully understood, just like the Atonement isn't fully understood, the only thing you can know is that it works. Both are just moving forces in the world that change things without knowing why.
ReplyDeleteThe parallel with The Tempest and Joseph is very interesting, especially because Prospero plays kind of a God figure and the other characters play other symbols of mankind. Caliban the natural man, Ariel more of a saint, Prospero's brother a repentant sinner. It is interesting.