CRITICS Flashcards
Frank Kermode on Caliban
“Representative of Nature uncontrolled by Art”
- a foil to P’s civilised education
Frames him as a natural being corrupted by P’s IMPOSED ORDER
Niel Bowen on social hierarchies
“An unnatural construct and one which, crucially, is vulnerable to outside forces”
- eg when boatswain is frustrated as he orders the noblemen below deck - challanges the authority of THE GREAT CHAIN OF BEING
He considers the play could be “OBLIQUELY CRITICISING KING JAMES”
- The storm symbolises times of crisis and the play is a guide to “wise leadership”
Niel Bowen on Prospero
A “subtle but arch Machiavellian using his daughter as part of his political game”
17th century interpretation of it
Religious allegory
- ideology that sin redeemed leads to virtue
- reinforced christian values of forgiveness and salvation, seeing it as DIDACTIC
W.H. AUDEN
“Only through comedy can one be entirely serious”
suggesting that the play’s shift towards resolution enables a deeper moral message.
Marilyn French on Miranda
From a feminist perspective, Miranda’s role in the relationship has been critiqued as overly passive. She is often seen as a product of her father’s control, and her immediate submission to Ferdinand might reflect a lack of independent agency. In The Tempest, Miranda’s declaration:
“I am your wife, if you will marry me; / If not, I’ll die your maid.” (Act 3, Scene 1)
has been interpreted by critics like Marilyn French as indicative of her subservience, reinforcing patriarchal norms of the time. Nevertheless, other scholars argue that Miranda’s openness and sincerity should not be dismissed as weakness but rather celebrated as a rejection of guile and artifice.
Virginia Mason Vaughan and Alden T. Vaughan
Outlines how the play’s minimal nine scenes parallel and mirror each other in various ways
Greenblatt
Prospero’s surrender of magic represents Shakespeare’s own farewell to the stage, privileging human experience over theatrical artifice.
Griffiths
Caliban is lost without the civilising influence exerted on him by Prospero
Production which humanises caliban and ariel
Jonathon Miller 1970: commentary on imperialism casting two West Indian actors for Ariel and Caliban.
Rose Zimbardo
“The heart of the play is not REGENERATION through suffering, but eternal conflict between order and chaos”
Margaret Atwood
“Prospero doesn’t want to marry Miranda off as part of a cold-hearted flesh trade deal”
A.D. Nuttall
HUMANIST LENS
“Prospero is not a tyrant, but a teacher, guiding his subjects toward wisdom.”
Nuttall challenges the postcolonial interpretation, arguing that Prospero’s rule is benevolent rather than oppressive. Critics argue this downplays Prospero’s authoritarian control over Caliban and Ariel.
Frank Kermode
christian lens
“The Tempest is a play about divine providence and redemption.”
Kermode sees the play as deeply religious, with Prospero acting as a god-like figure orchestrating events. Some critics argue this reading ignores the power struggles and colonial undertones.
contrast to Zimbardo
Leo Marx
Anti-pastoral reading
“The island is not an Eden, but a site of enslavement and exploitation.”
While many early critics saw the island as a utopian paradise, Marx argues it is a dystopia for figures like Caliban. This conflicts with interpretations that see the island as a space of magic and transformation.
in my opinion, only becomes like this after prospero and co enter it
Coleridge
ROMANTIC IDEALISM
“Ariel is the embodiment of poetic genius, and Caliban of base materialism.”
Coleridge sees the play as a contrast between spirit (Ariel) and brute nature (Caliban), reinforcing a European ideal of civilization. This has been criticized for reinforcing racial and cultural hierarchies.
Northrop Frye
“Ariel and Caliban represent two aspects of the natural world—one ethereal, one earthly—both of which Prospero must master.”
Frye presents Ariel as the spirit of air and intellect, while Caliban is tied to the earth and bodily desires. Prospero’s power relies on balancing the two.
Frye
“The Tempest is a play about the limits of power and the necessity of wisdom.”
Rather than seeing Prospero as purely authoritarian, Frye views his journey as one of learning restraint, which culminates in his decision to abandon magic.
