Shakespeare Uses His Play 'the Tempest' to Depict a Microcosm of His Society.
In his play The Tempest, Shakespeare uses the stage to present to the audience a microcosm of society. He minimizes the ideologies of his society so that they are represented through the characters and settings of the play. Through the use of dramatic conventions, the playwright examines human behaviour and emotion on a smaller scale. The shipwreck and the island are a world of their own; however, they are both representative of wider ideas. The play reflects how human nature shapes a society. There is continual conflict between the rightful order of things and challenges to it. The ship demonstrates power struggles and cements the presence of the hierarchical structure that is applied in civilisation. The island explores colonialism and the British impulse to expand the empire. It also addresses religion and the role of women in the early 17th Century era.
Aboard the ship in the opening scene, there is a defined social hierarchy. This mirrors the society that was in existence at the time the play was written. Here, the thematic idea of challenging authority arises through the conflict of the Boatswain and the nobles on board. The relationship between those of a higher and lower socio-economic class is depicted. The setting of the ship in a tempestuous situation is important in alluding to the significance of practical knowledge in the need for survival. An interpretation of the Boatswain being much more capable in this situation is that Shakespeare places priority over manual and practical skills over status. Regarding the waves the Boatswain rhetorically questions “What cares these roarers for the name of king?”
(Act 1 Scene 1, line 15)
The ship is an interesting examination of human nature for all characters are faced with fatality. Even whilst faced with death the nobles attempt to exert their authority over the lower class. The undermining nature of the Boatswain towards the King of Naples and the other aristocrats criticises the application of rigid
Aboard the ship in the opening scene, there is a defined social hierarchy. This mirrors the society that was in existence at the time the play was written. Here, the thematic idea of challenging authority arises through the conflict of the Boatswain and the nobles on board. The relationship between those of a higher and lower socio-economic class is depicted. The setting of the ship in a tempestuous situation is important in alluding to the significance of practical knowledge in the need for survival. An interpretation of the Boatswain being much more capable in this situation is that Shakespeare places priority over manual and practical skills over status. Regarding the waves the Boatswain rhetorically questions “What cares these roarers for the name of king?”
(Act 1 Scene 1, line 15)
The ship is an interesting examination of human nature for all characters are faced with fatality. Even whilst faced with death the nobles attempt to exert their authority over the lower class. The undermining nature of the Boatswain towards the King of Naples and the other aristocrats criticises the application of rigid