The Tempest Essay, Research Paper

Predominant Themes of Shakespare’s Final Play

In his final play , The Tempest , Shakespeare utilized several themes to enliven the work. Some of the themes are : nature vs. nurture , civilization vs. barbaric living , and magical transformation. This essay will probe the murky depths of the theme , civilization vs. barbaric living. The representatives of civilization and nature are Stephano and Caliban , respectively. This document will also serve to explore these two character ,to coin a phrase :what makes them tick ” , ( onward to the body text ! ).

Stephano , the drunken butler to Alonso : who could better serve to represent the whole of civilization? Stephano , the slaver of Caliban , the drinker of wine , and the giver of comic relief. He is supposed to represent the ” us ” as in civilization , society , our system of values. Civilization is , theoretically , a state of being that has a set rights and wrongs , order , and a set social structure. In Shakespearean colored glasses one would view civilization as a hostile place , a place where others take advantage of those less fortunate than them. A good example of this is when Stephano says ” If I can recover him and keep him tame , I will not take too much from him.” What Stephano said , basically , is ” Hey , if I can get this creature to come along with me I can get some good money showing him off as a freak , ” this represents the ” Shakespear ” civilization.

The son ( if you call him a male ) of a witch and a devil , Caliban must serve eternally to Prospero. Caliban is the representative of barbarism. Caliban is a crude , naive , and rough cut character. His rustic ways and forked tongue make him easy to dislike , and therefor , dislike barbarism. Barbarism is living off instinct , without discipline or order , and above all free will to do as one wants. Caliban is constantly cursing Prospero , his wizardly master , for enslaving him – ” All the infections that the sun sucks up from bogs , fens , flats , on Prosper fall”. Its not hard to see why Caliban curses civilization , it stripped him of his dignity and of his freedom.

One of the many themes that occurred was civilization vs. barbarism. The theme is represented by two characters , Caliban for barbarism , and Stephano for civilization. Civilization , in The Tempest , is a cruel ruler , whereas nature is balnce and harmony. Unfortunatly for nature civilization is dominant , it controls what it can and destroys what it cannot control. Stephano showed us this when he duped Caliban into more servitude , he is tricked so much he actually thinks it is a good thing.

In conclusion , The Tempest , the final play by William Shakespear , contained the theme of nature vs civilization. The theme was represented by Stephano and Caliban. Caliban portrayed nature – free willed , crude , instinct driven , and ignorant to civilization. Stephano represents civilization – ordered , crass and dominant. Civilization makes a cruel master over nature in the play , as Caliban is slaves and abused by both Prospero and Stephano . As Miranda said “O brave new world that has such people in it!”