Why should you read Shakespeare's "The Tempest"? - Iseult Gillespie
-
0:07 - 0:11Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning
illuminate a swelling sea, -
0:11 - 0:14as a ship buckles beneath the waves.
-
0:14 - 0:19This is no ordinary storm,
but a violent and vengeful tempest, -
0:19 - 0:24and it sets the stage for Shakespeare’s
most enigmatic play. -
0:24 - 0:27As the skies clear,
we are invited into a world -
0:27 - 0:32that seems far removed from our own,
but is rife with familiar concerns -
0:32 - 0:36about freedom, power, and control.
-
0:36 - 0:39The Tempest is set on a desert island,
exposed to the elements -
0:39 - 0:45and ruled with magic and might by
Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan. -
0:45 - 0:49Betrayed by his brother Antonio,
Prospero has been marooned on the island -
0:49 - 0:54for twelve years with his daughter Miranda
and his beloved books. -
0:54 - 0:58In this time he’s learned the
magic of the island -
0:58 - 1:01and uses it to harness its
elementary spirits. -
1:01 - 1:05He also rules over the island’s
only earthly inhabitant, -
1:05 - 1:08the dejected and demonized Caliban.
-
1:08 - 1:13But after years of plotting revenge,
Prospero’s foe is finally in sight. -
1:13 - 1:16With the help of the
fluttering sprite Ariel, -
1:16 - 1:22the magician destroys his brother’s ship
and washes its sailors ashore. -
1:22 - 1:26Prospero’s plotting even extends to his
daughter’s love life, -
1:26 - 1:30whom he plans to fall for
stranded prince Ferdinand. -
1:30 - 1:33And as Prospero and Ariel
close in on Antonio, -
1:33 - 1:36Caliban joins forces with some
drunken sailors, -
1:36 - 1:39who hatch a comic plot
to take the island. -
1:39 - 1:43The play strips society down
to its basest desires, -
1:43 - 1:48with each faction in hot pursuit of power-
be it over the land, other people, -
1:48 - 1:50or their own destiny.
-
1:50 - 1:54But Shakespeare knows that power is
always a moving target; -
1:54 - 1:57and as he reveals
these characters’ dark histories, -
1:57 - 2:02we begin to wonder if this
vicious cycle will ever end. -
2:02 - 2:04Although Prospero was wronged by Antonio,
-
2:04 - 2:08he has long inflicted his
own abuses on the island, -
2:08 - 2:12hoarding its magical properties
and natural re-sources for himself. -
2:12 - 2:15Caliban especially resents
this takeover. -
2:15 - 2:17The son of Sycorax,
-
2:17 - 2:20a witch who previously
ruled the island, -
2:20 - 2:23he initially helped the
exiles find their footing. -
2:23 - 2:27But he’s since become their slave,
and rants with furious regret: -
2:27 - 2:30“And then I loved thee,/
And showed thee -
2:30 - 2:32all the qualities o’ th’ isle/
The fresh springs, -
2:32 - 2:36brine pits, barren place
and fertile./ -
2:36 - 2:38Cursed be I that did so!”
-
2:38 - 2:41With his thunderous language
and seething anger, -
2:41 - 2:45Caliban constantly reminds
Prospero of what came before: -
2:45 - 2:50this island’s mine by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. -
2:50 - 2:53Yet Sycorax also abused the island,
-
2:53 - 2:56and imprisoned Ariel until
Prospero released him. -
2:56 - 3:01Now Ariel spends the play hoping to repay
his debt and earn his freedom, -
3:01 - 3:05while Caliban is enslaved indefinitely,
or at least as long -
3:05 - 3:07as Prospero is in charge.
-
3:07 - 3:10For these reasons and many more,
-
3:10 - 3:14The Tempest has often been read as
an exploration of colonialism, -
3:14 - 3:18and the moral dilemmas that come
with en-counters of “brave new world(s)." -
3:18 - 3:22Questions of agency and justice
hang over the play: -
3:22 - 3:24is Caliban the rightful
master of the land? -
3:24 - 3:26Will Ariel flutter free?
-
3:26 - 3:29And is Prospero the
mighty overseer- -
3:29 - 3:35or is there some deeper magic at work,
beyond any one character's grasp? -
3:35 - 3:36Throughout the play,
-
3:36 - 3:40Ariel constantly reminds Prospero
of the freedom he is owed. -
3:40 - 3:43But the question lingers of whether
the invader will be able -
3:43 - 3:45to relinquish his grip.
-
3:45 - 3:49The question of ending one’s reign is
particularly potent given that The Tempest -
3:49 - 3:52is believed to be
Shakespeare’s final play. -
3:52 - 3:57In many ways Prospero’s actions echo that
of the great entertainer him-self, -
3:57 - 4:01who hatched elaborate plots,
maneuvered those around him, -
4:01 - 4:06and cast a spell over characters
and audience alike. -
4:06 - 4:09But by the end of his grand performance
of power and control, -
4:09 - 4:13Prospero’s final lines see him humbled
by his audience - -
4:13 - 4:17and the power
that they hold over his creations. -
4:17 - 4:21"With the help of your good hands./
Gentle breath of yours my sails/ -
4:21 - 4:26Must fill or else my project fails,/
Which was to please." -
4:26 - 4:30This evokes Shakespeare’s own role
as the great entertainer -
4:30 - 4:35who surrenders himself,
ultimately, to our applause.
- Title:
- Why should you read Shakespeare's "The Tempest"? - Iseult Gillespie
- Speaker:
- Iseult Gillespie
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-should-you-read-shakespeare-s-the-tempest-iseult-gillespie
Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning illuminate a swelling sea, as a ship buckles beneath the waves. It is no ordinary storm, but a violent and vengeful tempest, and it sets the stage for Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play. Why does this play still resonate with modern readers? Iseult Gillespie investigates.
Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by Héloïse Dorsan Rachet.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:35
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