William Shakespeare’s The Tempest incorporates an array of different characters, conflicts, themes, and other literary tools in its development as a play. The play’s island setting, however, is vital to the framework of the play as a whole, creating the foundation for these literary elements. The island, with its many features, can be viewed as a character itself. The implication of looking at the setting in this way is that the play can be understood in greater depth through the relation of characters and events to their setting. Characters and events become products of their environment, as I will reveal by examining the central role of the island.
The setting, enchanting and captivating, profoundly influences the play and becomes much more than a backdrop for the events that unravel. The mention of the sea, the music, the ship, and the stormy waves is significant in that it illustrates the island’s many facets, each of which influence the play considerably. Several of the characters imagine themselves as rulers of the island, revealing their true natures. Therefore, the island is a constant source of competition and conflict within the play. Isolation, produced by the island setting, takes its toll on some of the characters, adding much to the plot of the play. Likewise, imprisonment on the island affects the characters and their actions. The island’s bodies of water, including the surrounding sea, are also features of the setting that claim a major role in events that occur throughout the play. Finally, the noises and music of the island have important impacts on the play and its characters.
The island is a property to be won in the eyes of several characters, and each of their individual visions for the island reveal their inner desires. After the shipwrecked men are wandering about the island, Gonzalo ponders what it would be like to rule the island himself. He says that he would rule the island as a commonwealth, stating that there would be “no sovereignty”.
Although it is a paradox, Gonzalo’s seemingly Utopian vision further suggests his good nature and fairness that is implied throughout the play. For instance, Gonzalo is also the loyal subject that helps secure a get-away boat for Prospero and his daughter, as well as providing Prospero with his prized books and some food. However, his loyalty ends with Prospero, as the reader can see from his subversiveness to his new king, Alonso. He does, however, try to comfort Alonso for the apparent death of his son, but to no avail. Gonzalo is also the voice of reason and optimism, praising the island’s green, lush grass and being grateful to be alive while the other men complain. In spite of the circumstances, he appears humble and thankful not to have drowned in the sea and he encourages the other men to be proactive.
Caliban, too, has thoughts of owning the island for himself. Caliban meets Trinculo and Stefano and expresses his desire to get revenge on Prospero. He tells Stefano that they should kill Prospero so that Stefano could be his master and king of the island. Caliban’s true desire is revealed, showing that he does not necessarily want to rule the island himself, but that he wants to get revenge on Prospero and have a new master, Stefano. The implication of Caliban’s attitude is that he is purposely written as an innately submissive character, and that he is a sort of property that is connected to the island. Therefore, the current master of the island assumes the role of enslaving Caliban. Fueled by Caliban’s proposal and Trinculo’s encouragement that the plan is a good one, Stefano begins to dream of possessing the island. Stefano wholeheartedly accepts the plan to kill Prospero. The island has again revealed the true nature of another character, displaying Stefano as power-hungry and willfully violent against someone he has never met.
The island is both a character in itself and a tool to expose the other characters’ genuine qualities. The island’s allure motivates the characters to try to act out their deepest desires and uncovers their personal greed, while enhancing their confidence in being able to take over the island simply by having some basic features. It is an inviting land to want to conquer because it is largely uninhabited, vast, and unknown. So, the island represents a character that one could call a catalyst due to the fact that it promotes this desire of colonization within the characters that are marooned on its shore.
The motivation to kill is another concept that the island as a character brings to light. Plotting and conspiring are rampant among those shipwrecked on the island, as it seems to be a constant source of conflict and competition. Already mentioned conspirators include Stefano, Trinculo, and Caliban, but other characters are inspired by greed – and circumstances brought about by the island – to kill for power. While the other men are asleep, Antonio enthusiastically encourages Sebastian to kill his brother Alonso in order to be next in line for the throne of Naples, assuming that Ferdinand has drowned and that his sister Claribel is too far away as queen of Tunis to be able to rule.
Isolation is another theme that arises from the island. The island isolates Miranda from the outside world, limiting her to have only seen two men, her father and Caliban, before Ferdinand. This is obviously a contributing factor in her love-at-first-sight encounter with Ferdinand, as Prospero notes while he attempts to stall their relationship. In this way, the island’s isolation helps Prospero manipulate his daughter, as well as the other characters. Miranda is constantly in awe of the new people and experiences she encounters. She is portrayed as a naive and sheltered young woman because of the fact that her father has withheld information about the outside world from her for most of her life. Without the seclusion of the island as a tool, Prospero would not have been able to contain Miranda’s world quite so completely. This feature of the island is one of several that allows him to arrange the fates of others in order to achieve the outcome that he desires.
Prospero’s dukedom was usurped from him by his brother, but in a way he has more power on the island than he had as a duke because of its isolation. So far, he has had no competition for power on the island after he killed Sycorax, and he has very little politics to deal with, which he was bored with as the duke of Milan. The isolation of the island serves Prospero well, allowing him to rule over and manipulate his daughter, Ariel, and his servant, Caliban. Prospero declares that Caliban has earned his isolation on the island because of his heredity, saying that he is unfit to live in civilization. Also, the characteristics of the island allow Prospero to have Ariel divide the shipwrecked men into groups in order to separate them and disorient them, making them easier to control.
Other references to water include those associated with drowning. For example, Alonso determines to drown himself after he thinks that his son, Ferdinand, has definitely drowned in the tempest at sea. Additionally, Stefano “drowns” Caliban in wine while they are wandering around the island plotting to kill Prospero. Stefano, Trinculo, and Caliban drink constantly on their way to find Prospero. Finally, Prospero says that he will drown his magic book and rejoin society without it. These associations further suggest the sea’s and water’s pivotal role in the play and in the characters themselves. The drink given to Caliban by Stefano sparks his boldness to conspire against Prospero and the idea of drowning causes Alonso’s grief over his son and Sebastian’s hope of ruling the island with the encouragement of Antonio. These instances of water playing such an integral part in the behavior of the characters remind the reader of the sea tempest that originally brought all of the characters to the island and of how water is related to the sea, and ultimately, to the island’s overall character.
Conclusively, the island setting of The Tempest has the distinct qualifications to be defined as a character. It acts as the foundation for the storyline and is vital to shaping the behaviors and conflicts of many characters. The island reveals the identities of some characters, while reflecting the identities of others. Elements of the island, including its sounds, bodies of water and surrounding sea, potential for colonization, and isolation, develop it as a prominent figure in the play and cement it as the framework for the plot and major conflicts.
