Bringing It All Together Essay, Research Paper
The Epilogue of the Tempest by William
Shakespeare is an excellent — if not the best — example of Shakespeare’s
brilliance. In 20 lines Shakespeare is able to write an excellent ending
to his play, while speaking through his characters about Shakespeare’s
own life and career. Even more amazingly, he seemlessly ties the two together.
In the context of the story Prospero’s
monologue makes perfect sense. He has lost his magical power, so his “charms
are o’erthrown, and what strength [Prospero] have’s [his] own, which is
most faint.” He is now “confined” on the Island, for his other choice would
be to go to Naples and reclaim his dukedom, but he doesn’t want to do that
because he has already “pardoned the deceiver” who took his position many
years ago. Prospero then says something a little strange, but it makes
sense in the context of the story, he ask us to “release [him] from [his]
bands with the help of your good hands.” In other words, clap so that the
sails of the boats his friends are riding in will be safely returned and
Prospero can be “relieved by prayer” of the audience.
All of what Prospero has said is very nice
cute, but the most interesting part of this monologue is what Shakespeare
himself is saying. “Now that my charms are all o’erthrown, and what strength
I have’s mine own” means, now my plays are over, and it’s no longer my
characters speaking. The “Island” or stage Shakespeare is on is now “bare”
and it is time for “you” the audience to release Shakespeare and his actors
from t
only being released for the performance of the play, he was being release
from his career as a playwright. But there are more reasons to clap besides
the obvious reason that the play is over, Shakespeare could not allow his
final play to be bad, his project “was to please.” He reiterates this point
by saying “and my ending is despair unless I be relieved by prayer”, or
the clapping of the audience and it frees “all faults” and allows Shakespeare
to indulge the clapping and joy of the audience.
Finally, after we seperate the two different
perspectives, we can step back and see how Shakespeare magically works
them together. The first such pun is on the word “faint”, in the third
line. Prospero uses faint to describe his strength, but Shakespeare makes
it a pun on the pun he is making! Let me explain, faint means light (amoung
other things), which means light hearted, or fun. As if you thought this
wasn’t confusing enough already, you could put a pun on the pun on the
pun! Again, let me explain, faint can also mean hard to see, like the pun
on the pun! That might be pushing it a little, though. The thing about
Shakespeare is anything is possible. Another, less obvious but more significant
double meaning is on the word “please” on line 13. Prospero is literally
saying his goal was to make the people on the Island happy, Shakespeare
is saying his goal was to please his audience. Shakespeare was without
a doubt is one of the greatest authors of all time, this Epilogue clearly
shows us that.