The Tempest - AO5 - Critics & Interpretations

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  • Created by: Tahmin28
  • Created on: 08-01-19 17:19
Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
"The act of calling someone perfect can be construed as an act of control."
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Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
Miranda is motivated "by the positive force of love, rather than the threat of violence".
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Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
Prospero "choreographs every aspect of her [Miranda's] life".
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Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
"Miranda's name means wonder... this is true in quite literal terms as she is the only female character on the island."
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Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
Miranda's "femininity becomes an extremely valuable commodity".
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Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
Prospero "is able to use her sexual appeal as a bargaining tool".
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Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
"Miranda is both a symbol of female perfection and male oppression."
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Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'
"It could be argued that Miranda's apparent freedom is entirely illusory."
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Valdivieso - Miranda
"Miranda's main role is to obey her father."
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Amanda Mallibard - 'Forgiveness & Reconciliation in The Tempest'
Prospero's conduct "seems to contradict the basic tenets of Christian forgiveness".
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Amanda Mallibard - 'Forgiveness & Reconciliation in The Tempest'
"Prospero feels free to forgive only after he has emerged triumphant."
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Lauren Gifford - 'Prospero's Mirages of Power Struggle & Conscience in The Tempest'
"Prospero's knowledge of gods coupled with his mastery of sorcery make him a formidable character."
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Lauren Gifford - 'Prospero's Mirages of Power Struggle & Conscience in The Tempest'
"Prospero's presence looms over the budding romantic relationship of Miranda and Ferdinand."
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Lauren Gifford - 'Prospero's Mirages of Power Struggle & Conscience in The Tempest'
"Ariel's angelic direction shapes Prospero's perception of his actions."
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Lauren Gifford - 'Prospero's Mirages of Power Struggle & Conscience in The Tempest'
Ariel "maintains Prospero's conscience".
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Lauren Gifford - 'Prospero's Mirages of Power Struggle & Conscience in The Tempest'
"The Tempest encompasses the complexity and strength of the human mind as it wins over adverse conditions."
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Joanna Williams - 'Caliban: A Creature of His Times'
"Whereas the savage can appreciate the music, the civilised human thinks only in terms of material value."
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Joanna Williams - 'Caliban: A Creature of His Times'
"Prospero too, perhaps unwittingly, defines Caliban as a man - why else would this scholar spend valuable time teaching him?"
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Joanna Williams - 'Caliban: A Creature of His Times'
"Caliban presents the primitive and unrestrained appetite, untouched by civilised notions of self control."
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Joanna Williams - 'Caliban: A Creature of His Times'
Romantics view Caliban's unrestrained appetite as a sign of freedom, and would have condemned Prospero for trying to suppress this: "Coleridge wrote: 'The character of Caliban is wonderfully conceived: he is a sort of creature of the Earth.'."
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Chris Thurman - Caliban
A review from the 2008 RSC performance: "it is clear that Kani's approach to the role [of Caliban] is based on his identification with Caliban as a victim of tyranny".
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Rex Gibson - Caliban
"Caliban is a lonely, oppressed and dispossessed slave."
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Rex Gibson - Caliban
"Caliban is brutish and evil by nature."
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David Lindley - Prospero & Caliban
"The relationship between Prospero and Caliban deteriorates into one of rebellion and domination."
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Andrew Green - 'Sound & Music in The Tempest'
"The mighty storm that opens the play is a thunderously orchestrated work of art."
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Andrew Green - 'Sound & Music in The Tempest'
"Music and sound are Prospero's most frequently employed means of control."
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Andrew Green - 'Sound & Music in The Tempest'
"At times the music and sounds Prospero invokes take on an almost sadistic cruelty."
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Andrew Green - 'Sound & Music in The Tempest'
"The strange power of music adds to the sense of mystery and confusion felt by many of the characters of the play."
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Miranda Nesler - Ariel
"As a spirit of the air, Ariel highlights the shifting nature of gender as it was perceived during the period."
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Walton Beacham - Ariel
Ariel's "only request is for freedom".
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Taylor Sharpe - Freedom
"Every character is driven by an internal cry for freedom."
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David Lindley - Freedom
The play is often seen as "about power and control but perhaps should rather be regarded as a play about the illusion of freedom".
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Jan Frans Van Dijkhuizen - The Masque
"The masque celebrates Prospero's paternal magnanimity and his ability to defy the laws of time and nature."
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Clifford Davidson - The Masque
"The masque is informed by an altogether different level of understanding than revenge motif."
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Monica Krysa - Feminist View
The 2010 Julie Taymor version of the play (with Helen Mirren as Prospera) is "a comment on women's empowerment".
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Rex Gibson - Colonisation
"Shakespeare presents a eurocentric view of colonisation in The Tempest."
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Liz Dollimore
"The best of Shakespearean humour is undercut with sadness."
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Ashley Riches
"Descent from control and an accession to humanity."
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Barry Beck
"The play can be seen on a realistic plane as a tale of political power and social responsibility."
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Miranda
"She expresses all the delicacy of innocence, yet with all the powers of her mind unweakened by the combats of her life."
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Lillia Grindlay - Miranda
"Miranda's direct style of speech reflects her innocent ignorance of the world of court, and it also reveals a somewhat sassier character beneath her idealised surface."
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Lillia Grindlay - Prospero & Control
"Ferdinand and Miranda are actors playing the parts that Prospero assigned them."
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Caliban
Caliban is "all earth, all condensed and gross in feelings and images".
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Ariel
"An elemental spirit robbed of freedom and tortured by the loss."
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David Lindley - Control
"The presence of Ariel or Prospero in each scene focuses attention on their control rather than the development of the story line."
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The Globe 2013 Production
Prospero's elevated status above the other characters represents his power and control over them.
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The Tempest as an Allegory
The tragedy could be interpreted as an allegory where Prospero acts as God and the island is the Garden of Eden.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Miranda is motivated "by the positive force of love, rather than the threat of violence".

Back

Mike Brett - 'The Role of Miranda in The Tempest'

Card 3

Front

Prospero "choreographs every aspect of her [Miranda's] life".

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

"Miranda's name means wonder... this is true in quite literal terms as she is the only female character on the island."

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Miranda's "femininity becomes an extremely valuable commodity".

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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