A plot to kill. Now that seems like a bit of an anomaly in a
Shakespearean comedy. However, instead of contradicting the structure of a
Shakespearean comedy, the plot to kill actually helps to progress it as an
obstacle to Prospero’s fulfillment.
Obstacles to fulfillment are essential parts of all Shakespearean
comedies. The Tempest centers around Prospero’s plan to regain his position
as the Duke of Milan, but his entire plan is put in jeopardy when he learns
that his former servant, Caliban, has betrayed him and is now planning with
Stephano and Trinculo to kill him.
Prospero, facing this change in his plan, must deal with this obstacle
head on and stop the trio from fulfilling their plan. To thwart the plot to kill him, Prospero send
his nymph servant, Ariel, to deal with the situation. By stopping Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo,
Prospero not only overcame the obstacle but he helped himself clear a path to regain
his dukedom.
A second major element to the
Shakespearean comedy is the comic solution.
The conclusion to the play must follow a format which includes a happy
ending and the elimination of the pretenses and disguises that guided the
play. Prospero’s magical powers along
with his former servants: nymph, Ariel and monster, Caliban must be left behind
when Prospero and the others leave for the mainland to preserve the structure
of the comedy. Prospero frees Ariel and
Caliban gets left on the island. To deal
with wiping out his powers, Prospero breaks his staff and burns his books so that
he can never use his magic again. With
these anomalies wiped away, Prospero is left with a clean slate as he heads
back to the mainland to regain his dukedom.
Prospero isn’t the only happy one though; Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian,
Gonzalo, Ferdinand and the rest of the passengers on the boat are thrilled to
have their family back together after thinking they were all dead. The marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda also
accounts for the presence of weddings in many Shakespearean comedies. At the end of The Tempest everyone is back to living a normal life and world is
back to the way it should be.
