English 433G
Dr. Desmet
Summer 1996
1. Throughout the quarter we have been following definitions of Nature. Use the Wordcruncher to see where and in what context the actual words "nature" and "nurture" actually appear in the play. Then read Frank Kermode's introductory section on "natural man" in the Arden edition (xxxiv ff) and the selection from Montaigne's "Of the Cannibals" (Arden 145ff). Is Caliban a "naturally good" man debauched by European colonization or is he a demi-devil, on whose nature nurture could never stick?
2. In The Winter's Tale, a shepherd and his son can be transformed into gentlemen. In The Tempest, the class hierarchies seem more rigid, In the Wordcruncher exercise I asked you to check the words "noble," "brave," and "honor." You might also want to look up the word "brave" in the Oxford English Dictionary to see what various meanings the word can have. (You can find the OED in the Reference section of the Main Library or on the wall in the Main Office of the English Department.) What can the various uses of the words "noble" and "brave" tell you about what this play considers to be valuable about human nature?
Alternatively, what makes people "bad" or "evil" in The Tempest?
3. Prospero says that he grew a "stranger" to his state (1.2.75). The etymology of "stranger" suggests that Prospero is in some ways already a "foreigner" or "alien" in his own land. Does he therefore have more in common with Sycorax and Caliban than appears at first blush? In what ways is Prospero a "stranger" to European culture?
4. In Appendix B, Frank Kermode talks about Ariel's identity as daemon, fairy, and spirit. He also talks about Ariel's relationship to the four elements as an "earth spirit" who is nevertheless comfortable moving among the elements. What does Ariel's relationship to the elements tell you about his identity and function in the play?
5. Is Prospero a white or black magician? You might want to look at the Wordcruncher analysis of related words and Appendix D, which suggests that Prospero's important speech renouncing his magic is taken from Medea, a very bad sorceress! You might want to focus on comparing Prospero to Sycorax.
6. What is the symbolic function of music in The Tempest? (See Appendix F, although it's not all that much help.)
7. Prospero, in a sense, is a very human being who plays god. But what other more universal forces are at work in this play? Is there a God, many gods, or some other force at work, such as Fortune?
8. Analyze the symbolic relation between the island and sea in The Tempest. (This would expand well into a long paper.)