The Price Of Eating From The Tree Essay, Research Paper

The struggle for power is an age old one, indeed. Opposing nations vying for control of a province, officials seeking powerful positions against equally cunning rivals, and the fight for dominance in a household are all examples of this struggle. It is a mental and physical battle, fought on many different sides at once by many different means. As a species, humanity seems predisposed to seeking the upper hand, even over those they may deem allies. Advancement in science and technology gives certain nations dominance on a military and economical level. Moral issues are fought in courtrooms, in churches and on the streets. Families are torn apart as wives try to break free of the chains of oppressive husbands. Power is the ultimate attainable goal for most, perhaps not on a surface level, but at least subconsciously. It is known that people in power change the world, and who wouldn?t want to be the one to shape their own destiny, rather than leaving it in the hands of people who don?t understand their situation? Might is right is a mantra that may not be just, but certainly has been the rule rather than the exception in many cultures. Galileo held the power to change the world thought his discovery, or at least people?s perception of it. He held a truth that was dangerous, to himself and those around him, as it threatened to undermine the most fundamental teachings of both science and religion simultaneously. It was truth, indeed, but at what cost? What does one do with such power in their hands? Similarly Prospero, Shakespeare?s fictional sorcerer from the play The Tempest, held power that one might consider god-like?power to call upon storms, and speak to muses. His was a might that was awe-inspiring, but at the same time, he isolated himself to devote himself to his art and to science. He must have known the danger of his power, and thus reveled in it instead in solitude. What does one do when they have the power to warp reality itself? These two characters serve to provide a basis off of which their respective authors, Bertolt Brecht and William Shakespeare, can make commentary on the use of power and its danger. After all, both Galileo and Prospero abandon their power at the end of both works, although admittedly for different reasons. And while there seems like more benefit to be extracted from the power Galileo wields, both characters serve as a model for the question: What is the price of power, and can humanity bear that cost?

In the first chapters of the book of Genesis, a utopia in the form of the Garden of Eden served as the shelter for man and woman. This paradise was supposed to last an eternity, unless they ate fruit from a tree that was said to bestow knowledge. Human curiosity being what it is, the fruit was eaten, and paradise, destroyed. Even in this early religious literature, it seems that knowledge is portrayed to be powerful enough to destroy an ideal and ruin human existence. If Genesis were to be believed, then the suggestion is that perhaps there are just some things that should not be revealed to man in general. It seems that Galileo skirted on such ground himself with his discovery about the placement of the earth in relation to the sun. He knew conclusively that no longer was the sun in orbit of earth, the ?center of the universe,? but in reality itself was the epicenter of the solar system, with the significantly smaller earth taking a proportionately smaller role in the workings of that system. How could this be, when all religious doctrine and astronomy were based off the seemingly obvious assumption that the earth is stationary? A monk in Brecht?s Galileo demonstrates this kind of perplexity when he protests Galileo?s claims. He seems to think that because the earth is not the center, it is not special, and therefore not protected my God.

??Nobody has planned a part for us beyond this wretched one on a worthless star. There is no meaning in our misery. Hunger is just not having eaten. It is no test of strength. Effort is just stooping and carrying. It is not a virtue.?? (Brecht 84)

It would seem that ignorance is indeed bliss, and knowledge is the loss of innocence. Galileo was convinced that his knowledge should be shared with humanity for its own good as well as his own financial benefit. Much has been made about portrayal in Brecht?s play as someone who could be perceived as interested in money, but the plain fact is that he had to live, and needed money to survive. Be it that he just wanted to live well, or that he sought to stay comfortable so as to continue to contribute to the world through his science, Galileo opted to back down from the authorities, and do his work in private. Brecht leaves this gray area about him, presenting him as a brilliant, but fallible being, and one who knows that the world was not ready to expand its horizons. It would seem that he ?sold out,? but perhaps his purpose went deeper. After all, it was not until people managed to make their religion and the truth of his teachings coincide that he received admiration for that work. For many, belief in God supercedes common sense, it would seem. For better or for worse is anybody?s guess.

Prospero is given a different, but no less impressive tool to wield?the power of magic. The cosmic power at his disposal is great indeed, but leaves him isolated and weary, content only to study in solitude while his innocent daughter Miranda is left to her own devices. The island itself is revealed through the course of the play to be a kind of purgatory, indicating Shakespeare?s opinion of magic as a whole. He commands elements that were perhaps not meant for a man to control, and thus he is forced to live alone. That doesn?t even to seem to be the penance, as he has his daughter with him, and she must inadvertently share in his solitary exile. Shakespeare seems to consider magic wicked, and through Prospero, Shakespeare renounces its power and from whence it came. His humanity begins to play a big role in his life from the beginning, and the budding love of Miranda and Ferdinand changes his heart. The magic of sorcery seems to pale in comparison to the love that they share, another suggestion that Shakespeare presents to demonstrate powers more universal than magic. He gives his blessing to Ferdinand:

?Then as my gift, and as thine own acquisition worthily purchased, take my daughter. But if though dost break her virgin knot before all sanctimonious ceremony may with full and holy right administered.? (Shakespeare 49)

Indeed, the isle itself is an ethereal thing, something that exists to house those of no faith. Miranda and Ferdinand are the only innocents, and their dichotomy is what gives Prospero?s acceptance of his own mortality and the loss of the use of magic a certain pain. He seeks to get rid of his power because much in the same way that Galileo?s power made him lonely, Prospero is isolated from the world.

Brecht and Shakespeare both seem to deem knowledge as a route to power, and as such should be avoided in some situations, but not all. Brecht seems to sympathize with Galileo?s genius, but doesn?t have any problem detailing the problems the knowledge he has entails. Truly that is a demonstration of even Brecht?s impartial attitude. He never proclaims knowledge is bad, but the events in the book suggest that he had a view that was farther reaching than good and bad, and that Galileo had to live to fulfill his promise, even though he was hiding his greatest discovery. Brecht seems to consider the gaining of several more years of scientific discovery an acceptable substitute on the grounds that the original knowledge is not lost and is passed on. Prospero is Shakespeare?s way of denouncing all magic forms, and showing redemption in the soul through love. His abilities were dangerous, but he gave them up for he sake of his daughter and his newly clean soul. What power have you if you can move mountains but not be loved? He seemed to come to accept his former life as desirable, and he simply wants his family. He describes it thus, at the end:

??I have hoped to see the nuptial, of these our dear beloved solemnized;

and thence retire me to my dear Milan, where every third thought shall be my grave.? (Shakespeare 67)

Both Authors recognize and are reverent to the power held by their respective characters, but realize that innocence is something to be protected. Pain and struggle get one only so far?beyond that love is the power that acts as the great equalizer. Both had a lot to gain from their power, but at the price of their souls and their lives, that power became a burden rather than a gift. And with innocence lost, there is no proportionate good.

Bibliography

Shakespeare, William — The Tempest

Brecht, Bertolt — Galileo

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