Shakespeare's View of Human Nature in The Tempest = Shakespeare's View of Human Nature in The Tempest

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In Shakespeare's tragedies the less worthy instincts in human beings create disorder in society. This is again the basic pattern in his romances. All four romances present a conflict between an idea of disorder and an idea of order. In all of them evil disrupts the life of a noble family. An idea of order is set against the disorder that can disrupt life. Unlike the major tragedies, however, in the romances the members of the family are reunited in acceptance and reconciliation.
Prospero and Gonzalo, as we have seen, are the sympathetic figures of the play. They are not worldly human beings. They are universal lovers, not by principle but by nature. Gonzalo is the type of the good adviser to rulers. Prospero has rich cause for vengeance, but Prospero is reconciled with his old enemies.
Shakespeare values the good and humane instincts in human beings, seeing what such feeling can contribute to the social order. It may be that Shakespeare is emphasizing the human quality of Prospero and Gonzalo. They, the good characters, have something positive to contribute in that forgiveness and love will enrich society. Their sympathetic characters are very important to this play, for it is through them that Shakespeare demonstrates humanity, the ultimate human quality, even though humanity has been destroyed.
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