How does Shakespeare use language, Imagery and setting to illuminate Prospero's journey from revenge to reconciliation.

... How does Shakespeare use language, Imagery and setting to illuminate Prospero's journey from revenge to reconciliation. The Tempest opens on 'a ship at sea' caught in 'a tempestuous storm'. This setting would immediately suggest to the Elizabethan audience, the presence of danger and evil, as they would be familiar with other Shakespearian plays where storms have been used in this way, for example, Macbeth and King Lear. The desperate language of the characters in the opening scene would further reinforce the audience's sense of evil afoot. The panic of the Boatswain is illustrated when he cries 'A plague upon this howling' and the terror of the passengers down below can be heard as they cry 'Mercy on us!' 'We split, we split'. The feeling of chaos is further reinforced by the use of language such as, 'howling', 'roarers' and 'drowning'. To the audience, the storm would signify a disturbance in the

want to read more? →