Major Themes of The Tempest by William Shakespeare

        Shakespeare’s The Tempest has been variously interpreted as a romantic comedy, a comedy concerned with such serious themes as justice and mercy, and as an autobiographical play. Many critics think that Shakespeare bid farewell to his dramatic career through writing the play The Tempest. Other critics have tried to find a colonial theme where Prospero and Caliban stand for the colonizer and colonized respectively. 

           In The Tempest, magic is a dazzling art form that infuses the play with a sense of wonder and a whole lot of spectacle, Art and Culture, Contrasting Regions, Freedom and Confinement, Man and the Natural World, Betrayal,  Compassion and Forgiveness, The Divine. Forgiveness and repentance are the prime themes of the play The Tempest. 

         the main theme of The Tempest seems to be the love affair between Ferdinand and Miranda which culminates in their marriage at the end of the play. Although there is an element of implausibility in speed in which Ferdinand and Miranda’s love affair passes through all the expected stages of maturation- through trials and tribulations. But Shakespeare’s magical imagination makes the romantic theme plausible to us.

          One important theme of The Tempest, when looked at from the allegorical point of view is the autobiographical theme. The play reflects the circumstances of Shakespeare’s own career at its end. The play has a distinctly autobiographical interest. Prospero has often been identified with Shakespeare. Like Prospero, Shakespeare is the magician of the London stage, which is the prototype of an enchanted island. Like Prospero, Shakespeare has raised the tempest of emotions in the mind of his audience. Ariel is allegorically the poetical imagination of Shakespeare who has helped the dramatist in creating the sweet music to the charmed readers. The Tempest is clearly the last of Shakespeare’s drama under the form of an allegory. 

          The 20th-century critics have identified the theme of colonization in ‘The Tempest’. In one sense, Prospero is a colonizer; he colonizes the remote island by snatching it away from its rightful owner Sycorax, the mother of Caliban. Prospero’s dukedom was usurped by Antonio, his brother. On the island, Prospero has himself become another usurper.

Magic in the tempest :-

          Shakespeare draws heavily on magic in "The Tempest"—indeed, it is often described as the writer’s most magical play. Beyond plot points and themes, even the language in this play is particularly magical. As a major theme, magic in "The Tempest" takes many different forms and is used to achieve a number of goals throughout the play.

Prospero’s Magic :-

          It’s clear from the start that Prospero is the powerful character in “The Tempest,” and that is because of his magic. The play opens with a theatrical demonstration of his abilities, and as we are introduced to other characters on the island, we learn that Prospero has used his magic as a way of establishing himself as a kind of ruler. Throughout the play, it is his spells and schemes that drive the overall plot.

          However, Prospero’s magic in “The Tempest” is not so simple as an indication of power. It was exactly Prospero’s eager pursuit of magical knowledge that gave his brother the opportunity to usurp him, taking away his power by taking his title. And as Prospero returns to Milan at the end of the play, he renounces the magic that has both given and taken away his power.

The Tempest is full of Prospero's magic and illusions :- 

          The play begins with Prospero's magic and ends with Prospero's magic. In between, the audience watches as Prospero uses visual and aural illusions to manipulate his enemies and expose their true selves. At nearly every point in the play, Prospero's magic gives him total control—he always seems to know what will happen next, or even to control what will happen next. At one point, Prospero even goes so far as to suggest that all of life is actually an illusion that vanishes with death: 

  "We are such stuff as dreams are made on,  and our little life is rounded with a sleep."

           Many critics see Prospero's magical powers as a metaphor for a playwright's literary techniques. Just as Prospero uses magic to create illusions, control situations, and resolve conflicts, the playwright does the same using words. Throughout the play, Prospero often lurks in the shadows behind a scene, like a director monitoring the action as it unfolds. Prospero refers to his magic as "art." In Act 4 scene 1, Prospero literally steps into the role of playwright when he puts on a masque for Miranda and Ferdinand. In fact, many critics take an additional step, and argue that Prospero should actually be seen as a stand-in for Shakespeare himself. The Tempest was one of the last plays Shakespeare wrote before he retired from the theatre, and many critics interpret the play's epilogue, in which Prospero asks the audience for applause that will set him free, as Shakespeare's farewell to theatre.

          Thus, magic is what complicates the character of Prospero. While it gives him some control, that power is false and misleading in the way that it leaves him weakest in the places that matter most.

Mystical Noises and Magical Music :-

          Shakespeare often uses noises and music to create a magical tone for scenes for both characters and readers. The play opens with the deafening noise of thunder and lightning, creating anticipation for what is to come and displaying Prospero's powers. Meanwhile, the splitting ship inspires a “confused noise within." The island itself, Caliban observes, "is full of noises," and the combination of mysterious music and sounds there paints it as a mystical place.

            Music is also the most frequent demonstration of magic in "The Tempest," with Ariel constantly using it as a tool for manipulating the group of lords. By practically seducing them with sound, he is able to split them up and lead them to different places on the island, helping Prospero achieve his goals.

Magic and the Supernatural in The Tempest :-

            In The Tempest two different types of magic are explored, one being the art of evil through the use of Black Magic, and the other being the study of meta-physics and the unknown through the use of White Magic. The ‘black aspect of magic is revealed through the merely alluded to character of the evil witch Sycorax. The ‘white’ aspect of magic is revealed through the well-developed character of Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan. The good aspect of magic is developed to a much greater extent than the evil aspect of magic.

            Prospero uses his great intelligence to win himself greater power. The attributes of magic used by Prospero are his robe, his wand, and his books which kind Gonzalo cleverly hides on Prospero’s tiny ship. Prospero uses his robe to signify that his appearance is, at threat moment, that of a magician. Prospero’s wand is actually mentioned very little, a reference being in Act 1, Sc. iii, -472, when Prospero disarms the defiant Ferdinand. The books are, without question, Prospero’s chief source of power. Prospero’s robe represents his influence over common materials, his wand is his ‘instrument of power’, and his books are apparently the basic source of his knowledge.

            The supernatural elements, and Ariel, the former servant of Sycorax, in particular, are an extension of Prospero’s plot to regain order to his life and the lives of his old and now ‘new’ associates. The supernatural spirits summoned by Ariel can be classified as those of fire, air, water, and earth. Fire is evoked in lightning and the forms taken by Ariel as flames on the masts of the ship. The spirits of the air, which include Ariel, are of the highest type. The music, noises, thunder, sounds, and sweet airs which flood the island pertain also to the air. A reference to these is given by Caliban:

Be not afeared; the isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousands twangling instruments will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, that, if I then had waked after a long sleep, will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming the clouds me thought would open and show riches ready to drop upon me, that, when I waked, I cried to dream again.

            Another type of magic used by Prospero with the aid of Ariel is the production and disappearance of the banquet, the fine garments used to tempt the fools, the arrival and dance of the spirits, and the circle about Prospero’s cave where the courtiers are held charmed.

            Prospero uses his magic and his control over the supernatural element to regain his Dukedom, punish those who are evil, and reconcile those capable of repentance. Prospero at the end of the play rejects his magic so he can return to society:

I’ll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound I’ll drown my book

            Before Prospero leaves the island he dismisses Ariel from his service. Ariel promises a safe journey for all to Naples and Milan, where Prospero will take possession of his lost Dukedom and witness the marriage of Miranda and Prince Ferdinand.

            However, Prospero cannot officially resume his place in society until he had adjured his magic powers and drowned his book, for his is a knowledge more than mortal, an art that alienates him from the common herd of men. There is, in his renunciation of his role of magus, something of the incarnation of Christ and the felix culpa.

Conclusion :-

          The Tempest ends with a general sense of resolution and hope. After four acts in which Prospero uses magic to split up, disorient, and psychologically torture his enemies, in the final act he lures everyone to the same spot on the island and forgives Alonso and Antonio for their betrayal twelve years prior.