William Shakespeare s Tragicomedy The Tempest - 1935 Words

Literary texts rarely stand alone, frequently including elements from other influences. William Shakespeare’s tragicomedy The Tempest (c:1611) is a play that uses intertextuality to enhance ideas about natural order. Banished to an island, Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, conjures up a tempest that brings him his usurping brother, Antonio in an attempt to restore his Dukedom. The play’s amalgamation of tragicomedy and the pastoral genre allows Shakespeare to warn his audience about unbalance, criticising the lavish lifestyle of his Jacobean audience and emphasizing the opportunity of redemption. The island is the setting for this redemption to take place, and an appropriate ‘new world’ for biblical allusions of baptism and purgatory to emerge. Intertextual references to Montagne’s essays critique ideas of primitivism whilst elements of ‘The Masque’ do similar. Along with Biblical notions of transformation and renewal, these element s of intertextuality reinforce the importance of self-control and balance and beg the idealisation of a simple, pastoral life. The Tempest is primarily a tragicomedy; however, it is difficult to reach a profound appreciation of the play without understanding its links to other genres, such as the pastoral. The Tragicomedy, as its name would suggest, should meld together in perfect retrospective proportions, the tragic and comical components of both genres. The Tempest demonstrates this well; comic themes are evident throughout the play,Show MoreRelatedFilm Adaptation Of Shakespeare s The Tempest1122 Words   |  5 PagesJulie 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 u surpationRead MoreThe Main Beneficiary In Shakespeare’S Will Was Susanna,1256 Words   |  6 Pagesfather-daughter relationships. From this it is easy to gather that Shakespeare adored Susanna and loved her dearly. Had he not adored her, she more than likely would not have been mentioned in his will as often as she was and he would not have written plays based on her. William Shakespeare is credited with writing several plays throughout his lifetime. Some are certainly more well known than others. Shakespeare wrote comedies such as Tempest, Twelfth Night, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. 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