LIT4 - Tempest - Prospero - quote analysis Flashcards
Caliban, my slave, who never yields us kind answer
-Prospero shows his colonialist attitude by calling him a “slave”
-reinforced idea that he is bad by nature with “never”
thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself
-frequent use of noun “slave”, highlighting Prospero’s colonialist attitude
-religious idea of Caliban coming from the “devil”, to reinforce his evil nature
I have…lodged thee in mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate the honour of my child
-Prospero shows a contrasting side to his treatment of Caliban, as he says he had treated him with kindness
-this supports the idea that Caliban is bad by nature - even after the kind treatment, tried to rape Miranda
if thou neglect’st or dost unwillingly what I command, I’ll…make thee roar, that beasts shall tremble at thy din
-imperative “command” portrays P. as a colonialist exploiter, forcing Caliban to obey
-P. threatens Caliban with violence, using agonising verbs like “roar” to describe the pain he will be in if he doesn’t conform to his commands
If I have too austerely punished you, your compensation makes amends, for I have given you a third of mine own life
-apologies to Ferdinand for his cruel treatment, showing a contrasting side to Prospero’s nature
-introduces the lexical field of finance in reference to Miranda, calling her “compensation”, which reflects the treatment of women in the Shakespearean period
-however this doesn’t interfere with P.’s love for M., as he says she is “a third of mine own life”, highlighting his paternal connection to her
thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise and make it halt behind here
-metaphor to describe “praise”, and how Miranda is almost too good for it
-language of love is used, showing P.’s fatherly love, wanting her to be treated with immense love and respect
“halt” in this context means to lag or limp behind
as my gift, and thine own acquisition worthily purchased, take my daughter
-further use of the lexical field of finance with verb “purchased”, as if Ferdinand is supposed to own Miranda
-this reflects the political need for a stable marriage in order to maintain a high status, and shows that M. is simply a vehicle for a political match
-however, P.’s positive connotations from noun “gift” shows how M. is not purely objectified as she is spoken of highly, highlighting P.’s fatherly love
if thou dost break her virgin-knot…sour-eyed disdain and discord shall bestrew the union of your bed with weeds so loathly that you shall hate it both
-emphasises that virginity is a requirement in the strict Christian marriage - a political need for maintaining stability and status
-tonal shift to warn Ferdinand, portraying Prospero as a powerful character once again
-strong negatives from nouns “disdain” and “discord”, with harsh “d” sounds
-subversion of nature with “weeds”, conveying how P. is powerful enough to control and corrupt nature
I have hope to see the nuptial of these our dear-beloved solemnised, and thence retire me to my Milan
-P. is clearly happy for his daughter’s marriage, shown by loving adjectives like “dear-beloved”, and recognises the profound significance of their love
-verb “retire” has connotations of ageing and relinquishing power, which links to Shakespeare himself retiring, as this was his last play
My Ariel, chick…to the elements be free, and fare thou well
-Prospero has a strong connection to Ariel, calling her an affectionate noun “chick” (often used to refer to a child)
-he is clearly pleased with Ariel’s work, as he wishes him well
what strength I have’s mine own - which is most faint
-near the start of epilogue, which is a convention at the end of Elizabethan/Jacobean plays, where a character addresses the audience
-reinforced ideas of ageing and relinquishing power, as he had given up his magic
-shows that without his power, Prospero is just a mere mortal, and is more relatable to the audience
release me from my bands with the help of your good hands…or else my project fails, which was to please
-rhyming couplets throughout the epilogue
-a message from Shakespeare through Prospero to applaud for him
-clearly states that his intention (“project”) was to please, showing that his actions to most of the other characters throughout the play was done with love
let your indulgence set me free
-ends the play on a highly positive note
-asks audience to free him, as Shakespeare ends his career with his final play
