Lorie Jerrell Leininger's 'The Tempest'

The most recent version of The Tempest by Julie Taymor changes Prospero to “Prospera,” a female figure played by Helen Mirren. Consider both 17th-century gender issues and more recent ones in examination of the play’s discussions about virginity, marriage and femininity.

Last but not least, Caliban had an unstable relationship with Prospero. Miranda wasn’t the only one that treated Caliban as a slave, Prospero did as well. “..What,ho! Slave! Caliban!”(1.2.375). Caliban would be called names, and numerous times he is treated as a slave, but Prospero felt no guilt to how he treats him. As mentioned before, Caliban is a villain as well, which means he is also evil to Prospero. “All the infections that the sun sucks up/ From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him/By inchmeal a disease!”(2.2.5). Caliban hoped that all the diseases that are in swamps and marches infect Prospero, in every inch of his body so he could become a walking disease. Not only did he wish for him to be infected, but he also wanted to severely hurt him. “I’ll yield him thee asleep, where thou mayst knock a nail into his head”(2.3.67-8) He tells Stephano that he will take him to where Prospero sleeps, so he could pound a nail into his head. After they were to put a nail into his head, he wanted to continue to do evil things to him. “Beat him enough. After a little time, I’ll beat him too”(3.2.92-3) As it shows in this quotation, Caliban wanted to beat Prospero.

Prospero enslaves Caliban and Ariel, seizing the island for him and Miranda, just like Alonso and Antonio had done to him. The rightful ruler of the island is Caliban, and although Caliban at one time tried to rape Miranda, Prospero repeatedly punishes him for this one event that occurred much before this play takes place. Prospero initially “helps” Caliban by educating him and in exchange, Caliban taught Prospero and Miranda how to survive on the island. Prospero uses the act of attempted-rape to justify his seizure of the island. This take-over should have been enough punishment but Prospero enslaves Caliban, threatening to hurt him if he does not do his bidding. By endlessly punishing Caliban, Prospero inadvertently shows his malicious side. Although Prospero freed Ariel from the tree he was bound inside, Prospero blackmails Ariel and essentially enslaves him too. Prospero repeatedly tells Ariel that he will set him free but, it seems as if that is an empty

As a Renaissance woman protagonist, she acts within an completely male world: "I do not know/ One of my sex; no woman's face remember" (3.1.48-49).  While no other women appear in the play, references are made to other women, but the count here is still minimal and sums up to three.  Miranda speaks of the lack of female companionship around her because of her location, but simultaneously the audience sees that the references to women that do occur within the play often have a sinister purpose for appearing within the lines.  The other women mentioned in the play seem to provide a sort of dark cloak over the proceedings of the play, even if they are completely absent.  Regardless, Miranda, as the only physical woman in the play the audience actually sees and hears, is described by Prospero with kind words, and few, if any, negative imagery revolves around the appearance of the innocent Miranda.  For example, Prospero informs Miranda that this "Art" is prompted by his concern for her; "I have done nothing but in care of thee" (1.2.16).  Prospero also tells Miranda that his mistreatment and harshness toward Caliban stems from the fact that Caliban attempted to rape Miranda and Prospero wants to protect her from any harm that could come about from Caliban.(1.2.347-51).  Prospero also indicates that Miranda, to him, is "a third of mine own life,/ Or that for which I live" (4.1.3-4); therefore after she is

In William Shakespeare's era, feminism was as much of an issue then as it is currently. When Shakespeare wrote “The Tempest” he found it necessary to only include one female role in the entire play. That role is played by the character Miranda who is the only daughter of Prospero. Shakespeare crafts Miranda's character in a manner such that feminism inevitably dominates over her encounters. The lack of women's rights both presently and in the 1500s demonstrates how it would be easy for a powerful man to take charge.

In comparison of The Tempest play and film by Julie Taymor I will begin with the first scene which is the shipwreck. In the first scene of the film, the first thing we see is Miranda holding a sand castle in her hands. Very quickly the castle is destroyed by the furious rain and Miranda looks confused and scared.

William Shakespeare's “The Tempest” examines patriarchy through gender and class. The patriarchal system enables men to have absolute rule over the women within their lives. In the play, Prospero exercises his rights as a father to control Miranda’s love and enact self-righteous deeds. Moreover, Prospero's patriarchal rule does not halt within his family, but rather encompasses the entire kingdom of the island of which he rules. “The Tempest” forces readers to acknowledge paternal patriarchies. Thus making one examine the ways in which the female gender is discredited by the male characters within the text.

Prospero's relationship with Caliban differs from that of Prospero and Ariel's. Prospero does not view Caliban as a being who could be his equal. He is blinded by his prejudice against Caliban's appearance and manners. Caliban is portrayed in a negative light. He can be seen as the depiction of the victims of colonial expansion. Although Prospero seeks this righteousness, he both mistreats and insults Caliban, who ultimately attempts to kill Prospero.  In comparison to Ariel who acts only when commanded by Prospero, Caliban is wild. He refuses to be colonized and tamed. This can be taken as a reference by Shakespeare towards those who were

During the course of the play, Prospero is always scheming on his plan to get his justice back from what the nobles did to him. I believe that Prospero is justified towards the others during the play, as there is lots of evidence to support this statement. A good example is when Caliban tries to rape Miranda; Prospero is justified in how he treats Caliban in the play. He treats Caliban like dirt and does not regard him as a very humane being, and this is shown when he says, “Thy poisonous slave, got by the devil himself Upon thy wicked dam, come forth”. Before the play, Prospero and Caliban had a good relationship but what Caliban did to Miranda changed their

Prospero’s reason for his ill treatment of Caliban is that he allegedly attempted to rape Miranda. Prospero states, “I have used thee/Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee/In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate/The honour of my child.”, and Caliban replies, “O ho, O ho! would't had been done!/Thou didst prevent me.”. This interaction does not prove the alleged attempted rape, but rather shows how Caliban reacts angrily to Prospero’s provocation. In the play, Caliban reacts as the monster that Prospero and Miranda make of him, but in Namjoshi’s reimagination, we are provided with Caliban’s initial perception of the alleged attempted

Although the audience know by know that Caliban tried to rape Miranda, Prospero treats him very harshly which reflects the poor treatment of servants in Prospero’s time. For example, when Prospero tells Caliban to come and chop wood, he replies, ‘There’s wood enough within.’ This shows a sense of bitterness on Caliban’s part, showing that he resents being Prospero’s servant, when he was once master of his own island. In this scene

Julie Taymor 's 2010 film adaptation of Shakespeare 's The Tempest is a truthful recreation of the classic romantic tragicomedy in all aspects except that the role of the magician, Prospero, is played by Helen Mirren, turning him from Prospero to Prospera. Through this simple change in the gender of one of the main characters, we see the play 's themes called into question and viewed differently to how they would have been if the role of Prospero was played by a male. These themes include the usurpation of royalty and family. This review will discuss how Taymor 's decision to change Prospero 's gender is a critique of modern gender discourse.

The royal party’s boat is hit by a storm, which is all the doing of Prospero’s magic. He brings them to the island to confront them and perhaps redeem them. This play primarily focuses on the interaction between the characters, and what happens when each is put on trial and faces their own guilt and sin. But there are so many complex issues in this play, one of which is the relationship between Caliban the monster slave and Prospero the enlightened civilized man.

Caliban’s concession of Prospero’s ultimate power as master evidences the way in which slavery has so effectively conditioned his thoughts and behavior into continually being those of a subordinate being. Caliban’s lifestyle has been one

When they met, Caliban was uneducated, and did not know how to communicate with Miranda and Prospero. Under the tutelage of both people, Caliban learned to differentiate between day and night. The "greater light" in the passage referring to the sun itself. On another level, however, Prospero taught Caliban the difference between what was good, and what was evil. The fact that Caliban turned out the way that he did, points to a possible reason why Prospero treats Caliban in such a strict fashion. Because Caliban was given the freedom to choose good over evil, Prospero blames himself for Caliban?s desire to rape his daughter. Because he did not teach Caliban well enough, the responsibility of taking care of Caliban fall directly on the person who initiated him into the civilized world--Prospero. At the end of the play, Prospero recognizes his responsibility for Caliban when he says,"...this thing of darkness I/ Acknowledge mine." (V. I. 275-6) Though he tells Ferdinand that Caliban is under his control (just as Stephano and Trinculo are under Alonso), Prospero claims more than leadership of Caliban. In this instance Caliban belongs to Prospero