Examination of Fantasy in The Tempest
Examination of Fantasy in "The Tempest"
Throughout Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” fantasy does more than reality in curbing character’s decisions. Nearly all realities change following the story's climax due to fantasy replacing reality. The love between Ferdinand and Miranda is the only relationship in the work not totally reliant upon magic for its existence.
Prospero’s fake tempest begins the story not only textually, but also chronologically. The rest of the story flows from this one act of magic. This storm allows for the circumstantial positioning of the characters so that Prospero may have his way with them. While Prospero purposefully separates the stranded men into preconceived groups, reality still has its way through Miranda and Ferdinand’s intense love-at-first-sight. There is no evidence pointing to Prospero’s knowing beforehand that Ferdinand and Miranda would fall in love.
The most pressing issue on Prospero’s agenda is his reinstatement as the Duke of Milan. To achieve this end, he takes advantage of perfect circumstances and uses magic to convolute reality beyond his initial fantastic storm.
By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune
(Now, my dear lady) hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore; and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon
A most auspicious star, whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop. (I.2 178-184)
Through an unnatural apparition, he uses his sorcery to drive his foes, (Antonio, Sebastian and Alonso), to madness, as explained by one of King Alonso’s trusted advisors.
All three of them are desperate: their great guilt,
Like poison given to work a great time after,
Now ‘gins to bite the spirits. I do beseech you,
That are of suppler joints, follow them swiftly
And hinder them from what this ecstasy
May now provoke them to. (IV.1 105-109)
Once Prospero eventually releases them from this horrible trance, they all become repentant for their crimes against him, and he willingly forgives them. King Alonso then reestablishes him as the Duke of Milan.
Thy dukedom I resign and do entreat
Thou pardon me my wrongs. (V.1 118-119)
Sorcery is not the only magic used in the work. A drunken Stephano accidentally stumbles upon his ability to use alcohol as a means to be a god. Stephano and Trinculo use the washed-up barrel of sherry as a means to cast their own type of spell over Caliban. Under a drunken daze, Stephano moves to...