Shakespeare and the Tempest

'Discuss ways in which Shakespeare alludes to his own life in 'The Tempest''Examples: TITLE: The Tempest itself (i.e the storm caused by Prospero) could be considered to reference a ship crash in the Bermudas that separated and nearly wrecked a fleet of colonial ships sailing from Plymouth to Virginia. As a reflection on Shakespeare's view of colonialism, it is interesting that - as both journeys (fictional and real) began with a disaster Shakespeare could be suggesting that colonialism and imperialism ultimately always become disasters, and that Colonialism is an act against the subdued and simple, turning them into the subservient. The Bermuda crash would have been big news in and around Shakespeare's era, and was likely to portray the colonialists as heroes, which Shakespeare dismisses by highlighting their idiocy and isolation. A series of pamphlets were published in in 1610 detailing the shipwreck of 1609, which would likely have influenced the Tempest. Moreover, a letter written by one of the survivors, William Strachey, refers to conspiracy, rebellion, murder, and muting which occurred during the passengers and crew were on the island, which has obvious influences on the play. KNOWLEDGE IN SHAKESPEARE'S ERA: although it is widely believed that the setting for the play is Bermuda, other interpretations suggest that it could be in Virginia, Ireland, or Africa. The ambiguity of the island adds to the themes of magic and dreams, which dominate the play. The structure of the play links these themes intrinsically: it opens with a storm conjured by Prospero, and the sleep of the Mariner frames the play as they are not directly involved in the active parts of the play.The idea that life is a dream or an illusion is conjured by the Tempest, at least in a theoretical sense. The distinction between science and magic was very fragile, with one of the most famous Elizabethan scientists Dr. John Dee being considered a "magus". Dr. Dee could be considered as having influenced the character of Prospero. Prospero develops the power to raise and quell storms, make himself invisible, conjure up music, and put people to sleep - powers associated with nature, the very thing that Elizabethan scientists were also concerned with. Propsero's magic seems benign, compared with the power of Sycorax, potentially reflecting the nature of the Church vs Science in the Elizabethan period. CRITICAL VIEWPOINT Peter Goldman: "the apocalyptic attitude in the Tempest is a reflection of the transition to modernity in Shakespeare's era and the subsequent confusion which surrounded this new set of values and change."