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This lesson continues our exploration of The Tempest's themes, focusing on forgiveness and reconciliation, the nature vs nurture debate, and the interplay of magic, illusion, and reality.
The movement from vengeance to forgiveness is the play's central moral arc.
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Anger -----> Punishment -----> Turning Point -----> Forgiveness
(Storm) (Torment of (Ariel's plea) ("The rarer
enemies) action is
in virtue")
In Act 5 Scene 1, Ariel describes the suffering of Prospero's enemies:
"Your charm so strongly works 'em / That if you now beheld them, your affections / Would become tender." — Ariel, Act 5 Scene 1
Prospero replies: "Dost thou think so, spirit?" Ariel: "Mine would, sir, were I human."
This is a crucial moment: a non-human spirit teaches a human being about compassion. It is Ariel's words that prompt Prospero's decision.
"Though with their high wrongs I am struck to th' quick, / Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury / Do I take part. The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance." — Prospero, Act 5 Scene 1
Shakespeare deliberately leaves the reconciliation ambiguous:
| Evidence of genuine forgiveness | Evidence of incomplete forgiveness |
|---|---|
| Prospero says "I do forgive thee" to Antonio | Antonio never apologises or speaks in response |
| Prospero renounces his magic (gives up power) | Prospero still calls Caliban "this thing of darkness" |
| Family is reunited; marriage restores peace | Prospero asks for forgiveness in the Epilogue — suggesting he still needs it himself |
| Alonso repents and returns the dukedom | Sebastian and Antonio's silence may indicate they are unrepentant |
Examiner's tip: A grade 9 answer does not simply say "Prospero forgives everyone." It recognises the ambiguities: Antonio's silence, Caliban's uncertain future, and the question of whether forgiveness given without repentance is truly reconciliation.
Question: How does Shakespeare present the theme of forgiveness in The Tempest?
Model answer (PEAL structure):
Shakespeare presents forgiveness as a conscious, difficult choice rather than a natural instinct. In Act 5 Scene 1, Prospero's declaration "The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance" frames forgiveness through the adjective "rarer," implying it is both more uncommon and more precious than revenge. The abstract nouns "virtue" and "vengeance" are placed in direct opposition, creating a moral binary that Prospero must choose between. Significantly, it is Ariel — a non-human spirit — who catalyses this decision by saying "Mine would [become tender], sir, were I human," an ironic inversion that implies Prospero has, through his obsession with revenge, become less humane than a being who is not human at all. Shakespeare further complicates the theme through Antonio's conspicuous silence in response to Prospero's forgiveness — he never repents, apologises, or acknowledges wrongdoing. This raises the unsettling possibility that forgiveness, when unreciprocated, is merely another form of the control Prospero has exercised throughout the play, and that genuine reconciliation requires both parties to participate.
The nature vs nurture debate asks: are people born with fixed natures, or can education and environment shape character? This debate is central to Caliban.
| "Nature" Argument (Caliban is inherently savage) | "Nurture" Argument (Caliban is a product of his treatment) |
|---|---|
| Prospero calls him "A born devil, on whose nature / Nurture can never stick" (Act 4 Scene 1) | Caliban says Prospero was initially kind, then turned cruel |
| He allegedly attempted to assault Miranda | He was enslaved and brutalised — violent behaviour may be a response to oppression |
| He is the child of the witch Sycorax | He speaks beautiful poetry — "the isle is full of noises" — showing sensitivity and depth |
| He quickly turns to violence (plotting to kill Prospero) | He shows capacity for change: "I'll be wise hereafter / And seek for grace" (Act 5 Scene 1) |
Context box: The nature vs nurture debate was alive in Shakespeare's time. Michel de Montaigne's essay "Of the Cannibals" (1580) argued that so-called "savages" in the New World were actually more virtuous than corrupt Europeans. Shakespeare almost certainly read this essay — Gonzalo's utopian speech echoes it directly.
"A born devil, on whose nature / Nurture can never stick" — Prospero, Act 4 Scene 1
Prospero believes Caliban's nature is irredeemable. But Shakespeare gives us evidence that contradicts Prospero's assessment:
Examiner's tip: Do not simply accept Prospero's view of Caliban. Shakespeare frequently makes characters unreliable in their judgements. The text gives us evidence to challenge Prospero's claim that "nurture can never stick" on Caliban's nature.
Miranda is also relevant to this theme:
Prospero's magic is the engine of the plot. Without it, nothing in the play would happen.
| Magical Event | Purpose |
|---|---|
| The storm (Act 1) | Brings enemies to the island |
| Ariel's songs | Guides Ferdinand; creates atmosphere |
| The vanishing banquet (Act 3) | Torments the "three men of sin" |
| The harpy (Act 3) | Delivers judgement on Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian |
| The masque (Act 4) | Blesses Ferdinand and Miranda's betrothal |
| Spirit-hounds (Act 4) | Punishes Caliban, Stephano, Trinculo |
| The renunciation (Act 5) | Prospero gives up power |
The play constantly blurs the line between what is real and what is illusion:
"These our actors, / As I foretold you, were all spirits and / Are melted into air, into thin air" — Prospero, Act 4 Scene 1
"We are such stuff / As dreams are made on, and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep." — Prospero, Act 4 Scene 1
This speech extends beyond the masque to suggest that all of reality is as insubstantial as a theatrical performance.
Shakespeare uses the play itself to explore the theme of illusion:
LAYERS OF ILLUSION
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