Importance of Language in Shakespeares The Tempest Essay

There are many different interpretations and differences of opinion regarding the genre of The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare. In the essays The Backward Voice: Puns and the Comic Subplot of The Tempest, by Maurice Hunt, and The Tempest as Romance and Anti-Romance, by Richard Hillman, the genre of the play is discussed in depth. Using elements such as setting, lines of the characters, and the action that occurs in the play, the authors evaluate Shakespeares play The Tempest to be a romance with a comic subplot, and thereby show how important the interpretation of the language and interaction is in finding meaning in the play. Literary critic Richard Hillman says that, in general, romantic dramas are characterized by†¦show more content†¦The environment is also an illusion of sorts in the play, as nature is not acting naturally. The stormy sea is not just ordinary rough waters, it is all part of a greater orchestrated purpose. In the real world, a little fairy boy Ariel would not flit around singing and driving people mad, or even exist for that matter. All of these unearthly elements contribute to the romantic supernatural atmosphere that is created in The Tempest. In order to entertain his audience, Shakespeare created the romantic atmosphere in this play so that it became an escape of sorts for his audience. People could effectively forget their troubles while watching a play in which the setting was not realistically related to the world they lived in. Similarly, producers of movies today must create an atmosphere that is unusual or unique in some way so that the audience can lose themselves in the story. Dramatic productions, old and new, are formulated with the intent of attracting an audience, and in order to do this there must be some egocentric benefits for them in viewing the play. The fantasy in Shakespearean romance and the enticing stories in the movies of today provide the audience with a vacation of sorts from reality as the benefit. Although Shakespeare went to great lengths to construct the romanticShow MoreRelated Essay on the Setting in Shakespeares The Tempest1072 Words   |  5 PagesImportance of Setting in The Tempest   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare’s enchanted island in The Tempest is a restorative pastoral setting, a place where ‘no man was his own’ and a place that offers endless possibilities to the people that arrive on it’s shores. Although the actual location of the island is not known, the worlds of Seneca aptly describe it’s significance to the play – it represents the ‘bounds of things, the remotest shores of the world’. 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