Grace Molloy

Mrs. Anderson
Interpretation of Tempest
10/24/16
In this informal response to the Davidson article, discuss whether and to what extent your
understanding of the play changed or improved. What originally confused you & what was clarified?
What did you notice that aligned with what Davidson said? What was new to you?
After reading

The
Tempest by William Shakespeare, I found myself still looking for clarity
on some parts of the book that confused me. After reading The Tempest: An Interpretation by
Frank Davidson, I found clarity on some of the events of the play as well as its meaning as a
whole as well as some more questions. With so many conflicting theories, I now find myself
wondering which is true.
Most of the people who give their opinions on the play view it as a dreamlike fairy tale
which focuses on reconciliation and forgiveness. While reading the play I did think of it as a fairy
tale, due to Prosperos magical powers and the fact that he has a fairy, Ariel, as his personal
servant. The whole nature of the story gives off a fairy tale vibe, but deals with a more whimsical
or magical version of real life issues. We see betrayal in how Antonio, Prosperos younger
brother sets Prospero and his young daughter afloat in the sea, so that he may take his place as
Duke of Milan. Forbidden Love is shown, just as it is in many other plays by the great Bard,
through Miranda and Ferdinands situation. Eventually love wins and they are to be married
upon their return to Milan. Family issues are a constant in the book and the basis for the story.
Most fairy tales deal with the struggles of family issues, forbidden love, and betrayal with a
magical twist. The article helped me see further into

the depths of T
he Tempest as a fairy tale.
One thing I noticed that in the end there was an illusion of happiness and that the
problems seemed solved in the end. Prospero regains his title as the Duke of Milan, Alonso
apologizes, Prospero reunites the king with his son, Prospero forgives his brother, and in the

end with the audiences help Prospero is freed from the island. There was justice in a way for
Prospero, that he regains his power and is freed from the island, but his brother never
apologizes for what he did which was the cause of all of the struggles and strife everyone faces
throughout the play. There is no punishment given to Antonio, but Prospero forgives him, which
in a way is fulfillment for the reader knowing that Prospero forgives his brother. I find the fact
that Prospero forgives his brother for all he has done wrong, despite the fact that he never even
apologized or showed any sign of remorse, very interesting and inspiring.
What I found in the article that was new was the concept in Elizabethan philosophy that
said a man possesses three souls. It goes further to explain the idea that Prospero, Caliban,
and Ariel all posses the same soul. It would also explain that this concept and Prosperos
relation to Caliban is the reason he is stuck on the island, and once they are both freed it is only
he who is left to be freed by the audiences applause. Davidson talks about this thought saying:
Caliban and Ariel are attributes of Prospero, practical aspects of himself of which he
was hardly conscious during his strictly speculative years. Each would be free; that was the
rational soul's dilemma.
Now that they are freed Prosperos only strength is what he has in himself, he says this
in the epilogue of the play. Prospero is alone on stage and addresses the audience saying:
Now my charms are all oerthrown, And what strength I have is my own he asks the audience
to but release me from my bands, with the help of your good hands. This was a concept of
Elizabethan philosophy which I was unaware of, but makes an excellent point and strengthens
the work and the article gave me an understanding of it.
Overall the article The Tempest: An Interpretation helped strengthen the ideas I already
had established about The Tempest, but also introduced new ones, specifically about the idea
of a person having three souls and its relation to the book and its plot. I found this article very

helpful and interesting and would recommend it to anyone struggling to understand T

he
Tempest.