Themes

Usurpation

Usurpation is the overthrow of a rightful leader or rules and this is used in a variety of forms throughout The Tempest. The play is full of rebellions - the Boatswain orders the king and courtiers from the deck during the storm, political treachery - Antonio expels Prospero and steals his dukedom, mutinies - Caliban attempts to rape Miranda, and conspiracies - Antonio and Sebastian plot to kill Alonso and Gonzalo and Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo plot to kill Prospero.
 

Nature vs. Nurture

The idea of nature vs. nurture is the theory, most eloquently expressed by Rousseau, that natural growth and a lack of interference by society allows children to maintain their inherently good nature whereas education and civilisation encourages humanity to lose their intrinsically moral and innocent character.

The first theory, that when nature is left alone it is able to become perfection, is shown by Shakespeare through Gonzalo's 'commonwealth' speech (Act 2, Scene 1) which advocates the idea that society can create harmony and happiness without the constraints of social rules such as jobs and hierarchy - 'For no kind of traffic/ Would I admit; no name of magistrate;/Letters should not be known; riches, poverty,'.

The next theory, that civilisation corrupts, can be seen through Prospero's usurpation - this event only happens because Antonio is too concerned with materialism and power; which can be viewed as traits of civilisation - though Sebastian and Antonio's plot to kill the king, and through Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo's attempt to murder Prospero. These plots and mutinies suggest that civilisation changes humans by encouraging them to be greedy for material wealth and power. In a complete contrast of civilisation, Miranda's character functions to show the audience what society could be like if left untainted by the control of civilisation. For example, Miranda is a character full of innocence and concern for others, which she has not learnt but has simply always known - the most obvious example of this being when she tries to stop Prospero from hurting the men on the ship because she does not want them to suffer, and that she 'has suffered with those I saw suffer'. (Act 1, Scene 2)

Imprisonment and Freedom

Many characters within this play experience some form of imprisonment or confinement, yet not always overtly: Prospero and Miranda are banished from Milan and are exiled to the island, Caliban is enslaved by both Prospero and Stephano, Ariel is imprisoned by Sycorax and is then forced to serve Prospero, Ferdinand is kept as Prospero's prisoner after the initial shipwreck, Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian are confined by madness, Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are imprisoned through Prospero's spirits torment of them, and the sailors of the ship are confined to a magical sleep which keeps them unknowingly confined below the deck. All of these characters yearn for freedom in some way but through a variety of forms. Prospero wants to be freed through regaining his rightful status, Miranda achieves freedom, although through marriage, from her father's control, Caliban believes that he can gain freedom by exchanging one master for another, Ariel demands freedom from Prospero's control and Gonzalo dreams of freedom from the restraints of a civilisation controlled by social convention. This idea of freedom is also emphasised at the end of the play when Prospero's character asks the audience to 'set me free' (Act 5, Scene 1) through forgiveness of his actions.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

It seems, at the beginning of the play, that Prospero's aims are not to reconcile, but to seek revenge. Yet the audience is never quite sure, and by the end of the play Prospero, with help from Ariel, has learnt how to forgive and had reconciled with the royal entourage and regained his position as the Duke of Milan - he says 'The rarer action is/n virtue, than in vengeance' (Act 5, Scene 1). This idea of forgiveness is introduced slightly earlier in the play, during Act 4, Scene 1, through the appearance of the Goddess Iris. Iris is the Goddess of the Rainbow which provides the audience with the image of the storm ending, and a new beginning. This also symbolizes Prospero's change to harmony and peace, rather than revenge as he allows the blessing of his daughter's marriage to Ferdinand, the king's son.

Colonialism

The Tempest is preoccupied with the theme of colonialism. Shakespeare presents colonialism as a form of exploitation which Western society uses to control 'inferior' beings. The conflict between Prospero and Caliban, it is argued, represents the conflict between the Old World (Europe) and the challenges to their culture and beliefs from the New World (America), as Prospero can be seen as the colonist and Caliban as the native inhabitant. There is much support within The Tempest for the idea that colonisation was a form of economic exploitation. Firstly, Prospero takes control of Caliban and uses him as a slave, and secondly and perhaps most obviously, when Stephano and Trinculo discover Caliban their first thought is to wonder how much money they could gain by exhibiting Caliban at an English fair.

Colonisation links closely to the idea of social class as Europeans believed that social hierarchy was a fixed element of society and was God-given. Natives tended to live without a rigid social hierarchy - although they did often have a leader who was usually seen to have links with the supernatural - yet all were considered equal and Western colonists perceived this as appalling and as something that would create anarchy - and Prospero uses this idea and controls it through his control and punishments of Caliban. Europeans justified their actions against natives through the suggestion that natives and their actions were full of debauchery and depravity. For example, Caliban's attempted rape of Miranda is used as evidence of his evil nature, especially as he does not realise how horrible his actions are. In comparison, Prospero's control of Miranda's sexuality suggests that Western society is a higher state of civilisation, characterised by restraint, abstinence and self-discipline.

 

These beliefs were often related and encouraged by the Christian religion, which Europeans felt needed to be enforced all over the world. Natives American's were seen as barbaric through their worship of savage and often animal Gods. Colonists used this idea to justify their divine right to 'save' Natives from their degenerate nature and this justified their harsh treatment of natives.

In a 1970 production of The Tempest Dr Jonathan Miller uses Stephano and Trinculo as symbolize foreign soldiers who patronise and bully the native populations of islands they are sent to inhabit and control, and we can see this through their control and mockery of Caliban as a 'foot-licker'.

Some critics have argued that Shakespeare gives a Eurocentric view in The Tempest and that he fails to explore Caliban's point of view, instead focusing only on Prospero.

Illusion and Magic

The play begins with an illusion - the shipwreck is not a result of a tempest, but of Ariel's and Prospero's magic and this creates the idea that the island is full of magic and illusions. For example, Ariel and the other spirits may be seen as an illusion to the royals as they are unused to such supernatural beings and the island itself is seen to be magical, even Caliban - a supernatural creature himself - says that the island 'is full of noises' (Act 3, Scene 2) which suggests that it is a place of magic and the supernatural.

Prospero is also representative of magic through his learning of spells and his possession of magic books. He is able to make himself invisible, control others and the elements, bring torment and pain, and command the spirits of the island which show that his magic is extremely powerful. It is this magic that allows Prospero to perform all his tasks, regarding the royal entourage, which makes magic central to the success of the play.

It is also suggested that illusion within The Tempest appears through the illusion of justice. The act that initiates the play, is the unjust usurpation of Prospero by his brother Antonio is the first violation of justice the audience encounters. Prospero uses this to present himself as a victim, yet it can be argued that he abuses this status as he takes power from other characters - Ariel and Caliban. Thus, Prospero also creates an illusion of justice as he should not enslave the other characters of the play.

Sleep and Dreams

Sleep and dreams recur throughout the play. At the beginning, Prospero sends Miranda to sleep so that he can plot with Ariel, then Ariel enchants Alonso and Gonzalo into a sleep, the sailors of the ship are kept in a magical slumber for the entire play, Caliban has dreams so wonderful that he longs to sleep again and the Masque scene also has dream-like qualities due to their supernatural elements.

Metamorphosis - change and transformation

The play begins with a turbulent storm which creates a change in the life of all the characters and by the close of the play there has been a huge transformation as Prospero and the royal entourage have now made amends and Prospero no longer intends to seek revenge and instead shows forgiveness. The Masque scene in Act 4 is symbolic of change as the Goddesses involved are representative of springtime and harvest which suggest that the play is reaching harmony and please.

Man or Monster?

It is difficult to tell, throughout The Tempest, which character's are presented as men, and which are presented as monsters. Perhaps the most obvious physical monster is Caliban, and he is referred to as 'monster' for much of the play. Miranda treats Caliban as if he is not human, but only because he attempted to rape her and because he does not act as others within civilisation do, and without this event we may have more sympathy for Caliban - he was enslaved by Prospero and is forced, through pain, to carry out his wishes. We may argue that Caliban is not truly a monster, because he only wishes to gain freedom from the control of men.

Although many of the other characters in the play are human, it can be argued that several act like monsters. For example, Antonio usurped his brother wrongfully and he and Sebastian attempt to kill the king for their own selfish gain and similarly, Stephano and Trinculo enslave Caliban and plot to kill Prospero so that they can take control of the island. These actions present the  men in extremely poor lights, as without civilisation and this suggests that they, perhaps sometimes more than Caliban, are monsters rather than men.

God and Humanity

This is an interesting theme of The Tempest as religion is not clearly mentioned, yet Prospero often acts as if he is God of the island. He demands total respect and recognition, even from his daughter, and he is outraged that Antonio has stolen his position. His enslavement of the spirits and Ariel and Caliban suggest that he believes that he is superior to all other beings as they must do his bidding and this supports the idea that Western civilisation believed themselves to be better than other races - which may also suggest that Western civilisation thought themselves to be somewhat God-like.

Master/Servant

The relationship between servants and their masters is one that Shakespeare explores in several ways.
The first instance we encounter of servants and masters is in Act 1, Scene 1, through the Boatswain and the royal entourages accepting and equal treatment  (Gonzalo and Alonso) and their demanding and belittling treatment of the Boatswain (Antonio and Sebastian). This is used by Shakespeare to present to society the way that they treat people of a lower class, and to criticise those who believe themselves to be superior to others.

Ariel slave status to the master of Prospero poses several interesting questions to the audience. Initially, Ariel seems keen to serve Prospero, and even acts with some level of affection towards the master, yet this may only be because Ariel craves freedom. We can see that Prospero, as the master wielding power, manipulates Ariel by promising and then taking away freedom which forces the spirit to obey him and this creates sympathy for the character of Ariel. Prospero's feelings towards Ariel are ambivalent throughout the play, he sometimes addresses the spirit with affecting, and other times condemning it 'malignant thing!' (Act 1, Scene 2) which may suggest that master's feel some level of emotional connection with their servants.

However, this is not the case with another of Prospero's slaves, Caliban. Prospero treats Caliban poorly, with contempt and anger because Caliban will not willingly accept the rule of Prospero on the island. This suggests that 'masters' should not have any power over others because all are equal and men cannot control each other. The main idea from the theme of colonisation also makes an appearance here - that Western civilisation sees themselves as masters of all other races. For example, Prospero makes himself master of the island, and then Stephano and Trinculo also enslave Caliban which suggests that civilisation will always try to create a social hierarchy. Shakespeare may be criticising this, as Prospero releases his slaves at the end of the play.