Classifying Shakespeare's Tempest

Shakespeare’s deemed final work, The Tempest, has both intrigued and puzzled literary fans and critics alike for hundreds of years. From the inspiration it provided Aldus Huxley for the title of his novel Brave New World to references at the end to the play being his last hurrah, when Prospero says “This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff, Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound

I'll drown my book” (Act V). However, the most controversial part of Shakespeare’s final work is the classification of the play itself. As it does not adhere to any of the three forms of tragedies, Classical, Medieval, or Renaissance, nor does it fit the mold of a comedy. Because of this, literary critics have long debated over how The Tempest itself should be classified.

There are many examples throughout the novel that suggest to me as a reader that this particular play most closely relates to a Renaissance tragedy due to the moral flaw that caused Prospero’s downfall as leader of Naples, magical and ghostly element that Ariel brings to the play, as well as complex subplots and occasional comedic relief.

Prospero’s reasoning behind being on this mystical island goes back to his obsession with magic. After originally being the King of Naples, and finding very little enjoyment out of these duties, Prospero became obsessed with magic and eventually passed most of the power privileges of being King onto his brother, which in turn lead to his exile.

Another big aspect of Renaissance Tragedies is the magical and ghostly elements that appear throughout the novel. The character Ariel, Prospero’s servant, is often times portrayed singing magical spells throughout the novel, “ARIEL sings Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell” (Act I Scene 2). Ariel in addition even mentions his non-mortal existence in Act V saying “Mine would, sir, were I human.” Obviously, a big time characteristic of Renaissance Tragedy is portrayed through Ariel’s character.

The Tempest also includes many subplots throughout its duration, such as Trinculo and Stefano’s encounter with Caliban. Caliban is portrayed as a native to the deserted island, and even characterized by Samuel Coleridge in his The Tempest Essay as “a brute animal, often confused like those living in the wild.” Meanwhile, while Trinculo and Stefano plan on taking the island for themselves by using Caliban and persuading him using alcohol, and Prospero planning to lure them in, Ferdinand and Miranda begin to fall in love at the same time these other events occur.

All in all, Shakespeare’s The Tempest correlates most closely with conventions of Renaissance Tragedies due to its downfall of the main protagonist, Prospero, ghostly element brought by Ariel, and multiple subplots as well as comedic relief.