The Utopian Solution in The Tempest Essays - 2461 Words

The entrance of The Tempest into theatres between 1610 and 1611, signifies a possible correlation between Shakespeares play and the colonization of the ideal New World. Before analyzing the courtly order and utopian theme in The Tempest, it is important to understand the politics and culture of the court in the early 17th century. The society that Shakespeare emerges from plays an important role in the themes portrayed in The Tempest, because it leads to the utopian solution to the political and class conflict. The definitions of politics and culture have changed drastically since the 17th century in Great Britain. The freedom of Americans to play an active role in politics and government greatly contrasts the role of the†¦show more content†¦The Conventional Court The court is a small entity of the commonwealth that assumes the most powerful role. The courtly life is a place of high society dependent upon many conventions, such as education, money and family heritage, that erect the governing structure. The courtly conventions are in exact contrast to the deserted island in the The Tempest, because the order, class and structure serve as the building blocks of the court. The court is composed of men led by a King or Queen, who makes and enforces the laws. These laws establish order, but class also plays a key role in establishing structure. Membership in the court is dependent upon the level of education and manners a person portrays. In order to obtain the proper courtly education and social etiquette, a person must be of a certain class, established through family lineage and wealth. The different classes make the structure of the court. Disorder of the Court Shakespeare immediately throws the audience into a court that is not unified and strictly divided by political strife. In The Tempest, the court is in a sense of disorder from the beginning with the shipwreck, Prosperos banishment and his usurpation of the deserted island. Prosperos opening explanation to his daughter Miranda of her birthright and the disorder staged in the shipwreck implies that there once existed order in the court. Prosperos true rule as theShow MoreRelatedIs Civilization the Answer to the Chaos?1144 Words   |  5 Pagesunnecessary necessities.† The society believes that civilization is the solution to disorder and chaos, but sometimes it creates more problems than solutions. To the imperial Europeans, turning the natives into civilized human beings was the main goal, and that is why they felt as if it was their job to take over the natives’ lands. In general, civilization is seen as a solution to a utopian realm. William Shakespeare in The Tempest and Michel de Montaigne in Of Cannibals narrow their focus on the ideaRead MoreEssay About This Day In The New World8472 Words   |  34 Pagesan honor guard who brought it on the platform. The mayor stood to receive it and presented it to King Emmanuel in formal ceremonial fashion. A long drumroll announced the unfolding of a Utopian flag. It was secured to the pole and raised as media cameras recorded the event for posterity. Musicians played the Utopian National Anthem as the flag ascended and filled every watching eye. The first time it had been played was at the start of Utopia when people applauded, and children sang. This time, noRead MoreVictorian Novel9605 Words   |  39 Pagesinnovation in prose, which was the birth of a new genre , called detective story. The main precursor of this form were William Godwin and Edgar Allan Poe, who in their works introduced a detective character, the crime and clues, the announcement of a solution and d enouement. Later on, the character of detective was also used by such writers as Dickens or Collins. Although, Collins â€Å"The Moonstone† is considered to be the greatest Victorian detective story, presenting the enigmatic character of SergeantRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagesfrom Giordano Bruno. This is a wonderful passage from the Picatrix. This was the book of 12th century magical texts that began to introduce these hermetic ideas and this passage is the core passage that inspired the Rosacrucians and numerous other utopian movements. Here is Frances Yeats, â€Å"Hermes Trismegistus is often mentioned as the source for some talismanic images and in other connections but there is in particular one very striking passage in the fourth book of Picatrix in which Hermes is stated