George Washington University

The Tempest: Rejection of a Vanity

Author(s): Richard Henze
Source: Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Autumn, 1972), pp. 420-434
Published by: Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2868681 .
Accessed: 28/05/2014 14:03

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Folger Shakespeare Library and George Washington University are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,
preserve and extend access to Shakespeare Quarterly.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 The Tempest:
Rejectionof a Vanity
RICHARD HENZE

" OWN the fourthact of The Tempest,Prospero,with the aid of

Ariel,calls fortha masque,"a vanityof mineart" (IV. i. 41),1
in orderto celebratethe love of his daughterand Ferdinand.
The sceneplaysfora few minutes;thenProsperosuddenly
remembersCaliban, "afterwhich,to a strange,hollow,and
AV 4 Q [39 confusednoise" the figures"heavilyvanish."Althoughthis
masque is containedin onlyone scene,the themeof whichit is a part,how a
man should live,pervadesthe play. Prospero,as he grows in knowledgeand
strength on the island,discoversthatman cannotlive in a fantasyapartfrom
thisworld,and the rejectionof the masque becomespartof a largerrejection
of passivelifein general.In thispaper,I want to explorethislargerrejection
and thedramaticcontextin whichittakesplace.
Criticsof The Tempest have recognizedthat the play lends itselfquite
easilyto a symbolicor allegoricalinterpretation. As Mark Van Doren notes,
"The play seems to orderitselfin termsof its meanings;thingsin it stand
for otherthings,so that we are temptedto searchits dark backwardfor a
singlemeaning." Most of thesesearchesformeaninghave centeredin three
charactersin the play: Caliban,Ariel,and Prospero.Accordingto G. Wilson
Knight,Ariel is "a personification of poetryitself,"Caliban represents"the
animal aspect in man," and Prospero"is a god-man,or perhapsthe god in
man."'3Theodore Spencer,in his book Shakespeareand the Nature of Man,
calls the play Shakespeare'slast treatment"of the threelevels in Nature's
hierarchy-thesensible,the rational,and the intellectual."4And James E.
Phillipsdescribesthe play in termsof the threesub-soulsof man. Caliban is
the "vegativeor quickeningpower" in man's soul, Ariel is similarto the
"sensitivesoul in Renaissance man," and Prosperois "the rational soul."5
While most critics would not agree on any one interpretation of the
play, most do agree with Van Doren that the charactersin the play seem
to representsomethingmore or less than individualhuman beings.
But therehave been criticstoo, like Elmer E. Stoll and Virgil Whitaker,
who have disagreedwith Van Doren's kind of reading.Whitaker,in Shake-
speare'sUse of Learning,feelsthat "Ariel,Caliban, and the otherspiritsare
a mechanismin the plot of the play and a means of making its meaning
1 All Shakespearequotationsare fromThe CompleteWorksof Shakespeare,ed. GeorgeLyman
Kittredge(Boston,I936).
2 Mark Van
Doren, Shakespeare(New York, I937, I947), p. 322.
3 G. WilsonKnight,The Crownof Life: Essaysin Interpretation
of Shakespeare'sFinal Plays,
2d. ed. (London, I948), pp. 2Io, 2Ii, and 242.
' TheodoreSpencer,Shakespeareand the Natureof Man, 2d. ed.
(New York, I949), p. I95.
5JamesE. Phillips,"The Tempestand the RenaissanceIdea of Man," SQ, XV (i964), I50,
I52-53, and I57.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REJECTION OF A VANITY 421

clear, but not a part of that meaning."6And in Shakespeareand Other

Masters,Stoll decidesthathe "cannotbelievethatthereis any allegory(which
. . . saysone thingand means another),or symbolism(which . . . means the
thingit says and suggestsanother),or even 'veiled biography'here."This is
"only a rathersimpler storyof his than usual, a romanticfantasy";the
searchfor innermeaning is "unwarrantedby the textand the spiritof the
poet"; Ariel and Caliban are "beingsmore actual and convincingthan Mi-
randa and Ferdinandthemselves."But then,in attemptingto deal with the
characters,Stoll admits that Ariel does seem to representsomething-"a
power of nature,like wind and water,harnessedforthe time to man's serv-
ice,and delightingin it,yeteverreadyto breakloose."7
I thinkthatthecharacters are a partof the meaningand thatthingsin the
play do stand forotherthings.Characterslike Ariel,Caliban, even Prospero,
seem to be other than individualhuman beings. At times the play seems
even to become an outrightallegory.In orderto discussCaliban and Ariel,
one needs to treatthem as allegoricalfiguresand use them as a key to the
restof the play. AlthoughI shall be concernedhere withone set of symbolic
meaningsin The Tempest,I do not therefore excludeor denythe multitude
of othertopics,problems,and oppositionsthat Shakespeareglances at in the
play. Nor do I deny thatotherinterpretations of Caliban and Ariel are pos-
sible.
Caliban and Ariel, ratherthan simplyexistingseparatelyin a recogniz-
able world,also personifyparts of everyman's being-in The Tempest,of
Prosperohimself.To begin,it is profitableto go back to Erasmus and his
discussionofthecommonRenaissanceidea ofthethreepartsofman:
The firstpartis theflesh,whereinthemaliciousserpentthroughoriginaltrespass
hathwritten thelaw of sin,whereby we be provokeduntofilthiness and coupled
unto the devil,if we be overcome.The secondpart is the spirit,whereinwe
represent the similitude of the natureof God; who afterthe eternallaw of his
own mindhathgraventhereinthelaw of honesty, whereby we be knitintoGod,
and made one withhim.The thirdpartis thesoul,partakerof thesensiblewits
and naturalmotions,whichif she,forsaking the flesh,cleaveuntothe spirit,be-
comethspiritual;but if she followthecorrupt affectionsof theflesh,thenjoineth
she herselfuntoan harlot,and is made one bodywithher that,beingan evil,
strange,flattering, foolish,and babblingwoman,breakethher promise,and for-
sakeththehusbandof heryouth.Wherefore ifwe inclineuntothespirit, it maketh
us notonlyblessed,religious, obedient, kindand merciful; butalso teachethus to
desirecelestialand necessary, pure,perfect, and godlythings,to obeyGod more
thanmen,and thoughsomeaffections be disguisedwithvisorsof virtue,yetnot
to be deceivedwiththem.If we inclineto theflesh,it makethus beasts,despisers
ofGod,disobedient, unkind,and cruel....8
Now perhapsShakespearedid not know this passage fromthe Enchiridion,
but,as VirgilWhitakertellsus, it is moreimportant to see whereShakespeare
shared the ideas of his age than it is to determine precisely wherehe derived
them (p. 9). And Walter Clyde Curry points out in Shakespeare's Philo-
6 Virgil Whitaker,Shakespeare'sUse of Learning (San Marino,Calif., I953), p. 323.
7 ElmerE. Stoll,Shakespeareand OtherMasters(Cambridge,Mass., I940), pp. 28i-84.
8Miles Coverdale,"Abridgement of the Enchiridionof Erasmus,"in Writingsand Transla-
tionsof Miles Coverdale,ed. GeorgePearsonfortheParkerSociety(Cambridge,i844), pp. 504-5.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
422 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

sophicalPatternsthatShakespearehad "an astonishingcapacityforabsorbing

traditionalmaterialswithoutthe exerciseof any greatscholarlyefforts."9This
separation of spiritand fleshis In
traditional. the nintharticleof The Thirty-
Nine Articles,whichShakespearemusthave known,we hear thatbecauseof
originalsin, "the fleshlustethcontraryto the spirit;and therefore in every
person born into this world it deservethGod's wrath and damnation."'.0
It follows,therefore, thatone's conductis properwhen one leans away from
the lusts of the fleshtoward the freedomof the spirit.I think that the
distinctionErasmusso neatlymade worksforThe Tempest,and as Whitaker
notes, the only proof that we can have, finally,that Shakespeare"knew
or used a philosophicconceptwill normallybe the pragmaticone that it
'works' as a key to his meaning" (p. 6).
Caliban worksas an allegoricalfigurerepresenting the fleshthat,without
conjunctionwith spirit,can be filthyand malicious.Ariel representsspirit,
thatportionof man thatis in likenessuntoGod. The thirdpartof man,soul,
is represented by Prosperohimself."As he, soul, controlsCaliban, flesh,and
freesAriel,spirit,he achieveshis highestexpression;he becomeskind,mer-
ciful, and wise. When Prospero governs Caliban and Ariel freelyserves
Prospero,the man representedby the threetogetheris conductinghimself
properly.It is not easy,as Prosperodiscovers,to resistthe lust of the flesh.
To do so he mustconsider,as Erasmusdid, "how filthyand beastlyit maketh
us," how it "withdraweth us fromall honeststudies,takethaway the use of
reason" (p. 523). Since fleshlylust oftenafflicts man, the struggleagainst
Calibanis a constantone. ProsperotellsMiranda,

We'llvisitCaliban,myslave,whonever
Yieldsus kindanswer.
Miranda.'Tis a villain,sir,
I do notloveto lookon.
Prospero.But as 'tis,
We cannotmisshim.He doesmakeourfire,
Fetchin ourwood,andservesinoffices
Thatprofitus.What,ho!slave!Caliban!
Thou earth,thou!speak!
(ILii 308-14)

Caliban nearlysucceededin an attemptto rape Miranda; so Miranda does

not like to look upon him. Prospero,however,realizing that the flesh,
properlysubjugated,is necessaryto do the chores required of man since
his firstfall,acceptsCaliban forwhat he is.
The dangeron the isle is thatone will ignoreAriel,spirit,thepartof man
"whereinwe represent the similitudeof . . . God," and "inclineto the flesh,"
Caliban, a "poisonous slave, got by the devil himself"(I.i. 319), and be-

9 Walter Clyde Curry,Shakespeare'sPhilosophicalPatterns(Baton Rouge, La., I937), pp.

I65-66.
op. cit.,p. 79.
10 Citedin Whitaker,
of Caliban and Ariel as the "grossgeniusof brutematter"and "the spirit
11Interpretations
souls may work just as well as thisone, but perhaps
of the elements"or as variousAristotelian
theyworkno better.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REJECTION OF A VANITY 423

come "beasts,despisersof God." That Caliban representscorruptflesh is

indicated by several things: his gluttonyand drunkenness,his role as a
slave of Prospero,his constantpunishmentby pinching,as well as Pros-
pero's statementthat Caliban is necessaryto carryout menial chores.Cali-
ban is not naturallya part of man; man's fleshis not in itselfcorrupt.Saint
Augustinedecidesin The Cityof God that"it is not thebodyas suchbut only
a corruptible body thatis burdensometo the soul. . . . The soul is weighed
down not by the body as such, but by the body such as it has become as
a consequenceof its sin and punishment."' Beforefleshcan become cor-
rupt,man must commita spiritualsin, the sin of pride,and turn himself
voluntarilyfromthe godly within himself.But afterthe spiritualsin has
been committed,Caliban, fleshlysin, easily followsand makes beastsof his
servants.
Caliban's motherwas a "damn'd witch" who was banishedfromthe so-
ciety of reasonable men, but "For one thing she did / They would not
take her life" (I.ii.266-67). This one thing was to become pregnant.The
fatherof her child, accordingto Prospero,was the devil. Since Caliban's
mothermated with the devil to producecorruptflesh,she seemsto represent
man's firstcapacityfor sin, the spiritualsin of pride that led him to eat
of the fruit,a sin not becausethe fruitwas evil but becauseit was forbidden.
Saint Augustinesaid, "if theywere forbiddento eat of thatone tree,it was
not becauseof any evil in the treebut forthe sake of the value of a pure and
simpleobediencewhich is the great virtueof a rationalcreaturesubjectto
itsLord and Creator.... The onlysin was disobedience"(p. 330). She, man's
firstspiritualsin, was not immortal;each man, if he is to commitspiritual
sin, must commitit himself;if he chooses,he may avoid spiritualsin. But
fleshlysin, the offspring of spiritualsin, remains;readyto troubleany who
come its way,and equally readyto avoid men who live withoutspiritualsin.
Caliban continuallythreatensman, but only thosemen who are broughtby
the accidentsof fortuneto his island. Prospero,with the strengthof his
art, which is a reasonabletrustin Providencegottenthroughstudyof the
properbooks, is able to avoid despair and pride and to make Caliban his
slaveratherthanhis master.
Caliban remindsProsperothat when he firstarrivedon the island he

strok'dst
meandmad'stmuchofme,wouldstgiveme
Waterwithberries
in't;andteachmehow
To namethebiggerlight,andhowtheless,
Thatburnbyday,and night;
(I. ii. 332-36)

If the soul continuesto cultivatethe fleshso, Caliban soon will make the
island his. As Prosperodiscovered,Caliban is by nature a rebelliousslave
who can onlybe controlled butpatient,authority.
bystrict,
When fleshis chastised,as Caliban is, Ariel, the spiritualin man, can
freelyserveman. When Prosperofirstcame to the island,Caliban ruled and
12 The Fathersof the Church,trans.Gerald S. Walsh, S.J.,and Grace Monahan,Q.S.U., vol.
XIV (New York,i952), bk.xiii,p. 3I9.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
424 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

Ariel was imprisonedbecause it would not serve lust: "for thou wast a
spirittoo delicate/ To act her earthyand abhorr'dcommands,/ Refusing
her grand hests,she did confinethee" (I. ii. 272-74). ProsperofreedAriel:
"It was mine art,/When I arriv'dand heard three,that made gape./The
pine, and let thee out" (I. ii. 29I-93). That art and the patienceand wisdom
thatit revealscontrolstheactionof theplay.
This action takes place on an island, to which Prosperowas borne by
stormyseas afterhe was drivenfromhis dukedom.The island, "this most
desolateisle" (III. iii.8o), and the ocean itselfmay be treatedas symbols.The
island represents the conditionone is in when separatedfromfortune,when
one can eitherdespairor continueto trustin Providence."O the heavens!"
says Miranda, "What foul play had we that we came fromthence? / Or
blessed was't we did?" "Both, both,my girl!" answersProspero."By foul
play, as thou say'st,were we heav'd thence,/ But blessedlyholp hither"
(I. ii. 59-63). Hither is the place of despairor of recognitionof properplace
in the orderof nature.Prospero,tossedfromhis stateby unnaturalrebellion
and his own neglectof duty,makes of the island a blessedstateof recogni-
tion.
Prospero'srightfulrealm,however,was his dukedom,in which he failed
to wear properlythe mantleof rule. As he tells Miranda:

Prosperothe primeduke,beingso reputed

In dignity,
and forthe liberalarts
Withouta parallel;thosebeingall my study,
The government I castupon mybrother
And to my stategrewstranger, beingtransported
And raptin secretstudies.
(I. ii. 72-77)

A ruler,whetherduke or king, should not be so rapt in studiesthathe ne-

glectshis dutyto his subjects.
Whether Shakespeare took his view on order, "divine right and the
mutualrelationof monarchsand subjectsfromthe officialBook of Sermons"
as AlfredHart says in Shakespeareand the Homilies,13fromHooker some-
time afterI594 as Whitakerthinks,14fromHall and Holinshed,"5or from
any one of a dozen othersources,he did hold it. The ruler,forShakespeare
and his age, was God's vicegerenton earthwho must fulfillhis God-given
role if disorderis to be avoided. If he neglectshis duty,confusionfollows.
Perhaps Richard II contains more referencesto divine right and kingly
rightsand duties than the otherplays,but the doctrineappears in at least
twentyof Shakespeare'splays.16Rebellionis always wrong,but so is lack of
attendanceto duty.Prospero,"rapt in secretstudies"neglectsresponsibility,
and,as forLear and RichardII, disorderfollows.
This interestin duty is part of the Renaissanceconceptof nature; as
AlfredHart,Shakespeareand the Homilies (Melbourne,Australia,I934), p. 5.
13
Whitaker,pp. I98-209.
14
15 E. M. W. Tillyard,in Shakespeare's
HistoryPlays (London, I944), feelsthatHall deserves
as muchcreditas Holinshed,if not more.
16 See Hart,p. 27.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REJECTION OF A VANITY 425

man fulfillshis rolein life,he is mostnoble.When Prosperoturnedto studies

insteadof govenment,he selfishly violatedhis dutyto societyin orderto sat-
isfyhis privatepleasure.This conflictbetweenprivatepleasureand the pleas-
ure of dutywas recognizedgenerally.Accordingto Bacon's Advancementof
Learning,

There is formedand imprinted in everythingan appetitetowardtwo naturesof

good; the one as everything is a totalor substantivein itself,theotheras it is a
partor memberof a greaterbody;whereof thelatteris in degreethegreaterand
worthier, becauseit tendsto theconservation of a moregeneralform.The former
of thesemaybe termed"Individualor Self-good," thelatterthe"Good ofCommu-
nion.". . . Thus it is everthecase,thattheconservation of themoregeneralform
controlandkeepsinorderthelesserappetites and inclinations[V, 7].17

Since one's lesserappetitesare best controlledwhen one performsone's duty

in society,the contemplative life is less worthythan the life of active duty.
The contemplativelife that Aristotlepreferredhas as its support"private
good, and the pleasure or dignityof a man's self; in which respectsno
questionthe contemplative life has the pre-eminence" (V, 8). But the public
good is the one that men should desire,for "men must know that in this
theatreof man's lifeit is reservedonlyforGod and Angels to be lookerson"
(V, 8). Prosperogives up his role of onlookerto becomea participantwhen
he becomes again a ruler.In choosingto returnto society,he chooses the
greatergood which cannot be envisaged in a Christiansociety,Anders
Nygrensays,"fromthe point of view of the isolatedindividual,but rather
fromthatof man in society,man in his relationto God and to his fellow-
man."18
Prosperoon the island,then,has not been always as patientand wise as
we see him in the play. Faced with the threatof malicious fleshand the
pleasanttemptationof intellectualsolitudehe has risen finallyto a higher
levelof being,to a cultivationof the godlikewithinhimself.This progression
fromone level of being to anotherseems itselfallegorical.While a duke,
Prosperocultivatedknowledgeand engaged in secretstudies.Driven to the
island, he attemptedto cultivateCaliban. When Caliban accuses Prospero
ofmistreating him,Prosperoreplies,

Thou mostlyingslave,
Whomstripes maymove,notkindness! I haveus'dthee,
(Filthas thouart)withhumanecare,andlodg'dthee
In mineowncelltillthoudidstseektoviolate
The honourofmychild.
(I. ii. 344-48)

"In mine own cell" here is in his own self-until the danger of Caliban's
corruptionbecame apparent.Then, afterhe discoveredthat Caliban's lusts
should be ruled, not cultivated,Prosperoreturnedto his books and from
17 The Worksof FrancisBacon, ed. JamesSpedding,RobertLeslie Ellis, and Douglas Denon

Heath, 7 vols. (London, i86i-70). In parentheses

I give volume and page number.
18AndersNygren,Agape and Fros,trans.PhilipS. Watson(London, I953), p. 45.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
426 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

themgainedthe philosophic mind.Finally,Prosperoleaveshis booksalso

as he risesto a thirdlevelof being,thatwherethespiritualis freeto guide
him.
In thisthreefoldprogression,Prosperoachievesin turneach of thethree
perfectionsthatRenaissance writerslike Hookerrecognized in man.Man,
accordingto Hooker,
dothseeka tripleperfection: firsta sensual,consisting in thosethingswhich
verylifeitself
requiretheitheras necessary
supplements . .. ; thenan intellectual,
consistingin thosethingswhichnoneunderneath man is eithercapableof or
acquainted a spiritual
with;lastly anddivine,consistingin thosethings whereunto
we tendbysupernatural meanshere,butcannot hereattainuntothem.Theythat
makethefirst ofthesethreethescopeoftheir wholelife,aresaidbytheApostle to
haveno god butonlytheirbelly,to be earthly-minded men.Untothesecond
theybendthemselves, whoseekespecially to excelin all suchknowledge and
virtueas dothmostcommandmen [I. xi. 4].19

But man is not satisfiedwith eitherof thesetwo because he has a soul that
makes him somewhatdivine: "So thatNature even in this life doth plainly
claim and call fora moredivineperfection thaneitherof thesetwo thathave
beenmentioned"(I. xi.4).
While a duke, Prosperohad alreadyrisento the second pleasure,thatof
study.AftercultivatingCaliban fora while on the island,he soon returnsto
his books. But the finalpleasureis a spiritualone, standingabove bothmind
and body. Prosperofinallybalances books and duty in order to rise to the
highestlevel.He learnsthat,as Erasmussaid,"all mannerof learningshould
be testedin due season and measure,with good judgmentand discretion"
(p. 498).
ApparentlyProsperohas not yet achievedcompleteknowledgeof proper
measureand degreeby the beginningof the play. If he had, he would re-
alize that a duke should prize his dukedomabove all but his God. But, ac-
cordingto the Folio reading,he can now stillsay,"Gonzalo, . . . / Knowing
I lov'd my books,he furnish'dme / From my own librarywithvolumesthat
7I prize abovemydukedom"(I. ii. i6i-68). If theFolio "prize"wereemended
to "Priz'd"-perhaps a d-e misreading-the chronology would be moreappro-
priate.In thatcase,althoughProspero"priz'd"his books"above mydukedom,"
he has alreadylearnedon theisland to reorderhis values.We do not see him
prizinghisbooksat all duringthecourseoftheplay'saction;insteadwe see him
giving full attentionto the businessof regaininghis dukedom.Since he is
willinga few hourslaterto "drownmy book," surelyhe has already,in Act
I, learnedthat a duke's primaryresponsibility is his dukedom.With either
reading,however,the point remainsthatProspero'sstudieshave helped him
discoverhisproperrole.
On the island he properlythrowsoffthe mantle of studyand takes up
the scepterof rule while retaininghis supremacyover fleshlylust and his
affinitywith spirit.To study books, Prospero discovers,is not in itself
19 RichardHooker,The Works,ed. John
Keble, rev. R. W. Churchand F. Paget,7th ed., 3
vols. (Oxford,i888). In parentheses
I give book,chapter,and paragraphnumber.VirgilWhitaker
assuresus thatShakespeareknewHooker; see Shakespeare'sUse of Learning,pp. i98-209.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REJECTION OF A VANITY 427

enough,but fromhis books Prosperois able to gain the art, the patience,
and the wisdomthatenable him to controlCaliban. "I mustobey,"says Cali-
ban. "His art is of such pow'r/It would controlmy dam's god, Setebos,/
And make a vassal of him" (I. ii.372-74). Reasonablepatience,trustin Prov-
idence,naturalimpositionof orderon himself-theseare his art,art capable
of controllingCaliban, of preventinghim fromworkingany mischief,and,
finally,of makingCaliban himselfseek wisdomand grace.Caliban,aware of
the importanceof the books, advises Stephanoand Trinculo to firstdestroy
them; then Prosperowill lose his magic and have no "spiritto command"
(III. ii. I02).
The magic thatProsperois able to performseemsto derivefromknowl-
edge. This combinationof knowledgeand magic was a relationshiprecog-
nized by Renaissancewriters.20Accordingto Bacon in The Advancement
ofLearning,the"honourablemeaning"of"magic"is knowledge:

I mustherestipulate thatmagic,whichhas longbeenusedin a bad sense,be again

restored
to itsancientand honourable meaning.For amongthePersiansmagicwas
taken for a sublimewisdom,and the knowledgeof the universalconsentsof
things.... For as forthatnaturalmagicwhichflutters
aboutso manybooks,embrac-
ing certaincredulousand superstitious
traditions. . . it will not be wrongto say that
it is as fardiffering
in truthof naturefromsucha knowledge
as we require,as the
storyof King Arthurof Britain. . . differsfromCaesar's Commentariesin truthof
story[IV, 366-671.

Magic thatconverts

silver, or anyothermetalintogold,is a thingdifficult

quicksilver, to believe;yetit is
farmoreprobable thata manwhoknowsclearly thenatures ofweight, ofthecolour
of yellow,of malleabilityand extension. . . may at least by much and sagacious end-
eavourproducegold;thanthata fewgrainsofan elixirshouldin a fewmoments of
timebe able to runothermetalsintogold by theagencyof thatelixir,as having
powertoperfectnatureandfreeitfromall impediments
[IV, 367-68].

Magic can be true wisdom or the vain effortof the lazy man to get some-
thingfornothing;Prospero'smagic is thatof wisdom.From the knowledge
he has he is able to divine that certaineventsare going to happen in the
near future.He hears the stormapproaching,sees the ship, and foresees
by means of his magic that a shipwreckis imminent.
ProsperotellsMirandathatfortune has broughttheshiptotheshore:

Byaccidentmoststrange,bountiful
Fortune
(Now mydearlady)hathmineenemies
Broughttothisshore;andbymyprescience
I findmyzenithdothdependupon
A mostauspicious
star,whoseinfluence
IfnowI courtnot,butomit,myfortunes
Willeverafterdroop.
(I. ii. I78-84)
20 WhitakernotesthatShakespeare'ssystemof magicis not verycarefully
workedout (p. 323).
Its significance
seemsclear,however.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
428 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

Althoughfortuneis now in his favor,Prosperohimselfmust take advan-

tage of this"mostauspiciousstar"if thefortunate
occurrenceis to do him any
good. If Prosperoneglectshis opportunity, he will bind himselfto an un-
naturalorder; his fortunes"will ever afterdroop." As Prospero,with the
help of Ariel, does take advantageof the confusionto furtherthe cause of
order,he affiliateshimselfwith spiritand regainshis dukedom. The "best
pleasure"that Ariel servesis not the studyof books or the cultivationof
Caliban, but the attemptby Prosperoto become again a properduke. And,
as Prosperobecomesagain a rulerratherthan a scholar,Ariel is freedwhile
Prosperoservesthegreatergood.
The tempestblows,and all but the marinersabandon ship. Most of those
fromthe ship immediatelybegin to feel despair and sorrow.Prosperoasks
Ariel,

Whowasso firm, so constant,

thatthiscoil
Would not infecthis reason?
Ariel.Not a soul
Butfelta feverofthemad,andplay'd
Sometricks ofdesperation.
All butmariners
Plung'din thefoaming brineandquitthevessel...
(I . ii. 207-I I

Refusingto trustProvidenceas Prosperodid when adrift,those fromthe

ship become victimsof fortune.The ship here seems a symbolof the con-
fused state which Prospero,having again taken upon his shouldersthe re-
sponsibility
ofruling,willreturnto order.Prosperosays,

I havewithsuchprovision
in mineart
So safely
ordered
thatthereis no soul-
No, notso muchperdition
as an hair
Betidtoanycreature
in thevessel...
(I. ii. 28-31)

Beforethat art bringsorderon the island,however,most of the wanderers

suffer.Two, Stephanoand Trinculo,drunk and unreasonable,become con-
nectedimmediatelyto the fleshlyCaliban. The others,exceptforFerdinand
and Gonzalo, despairor attemptto perpetrateadditionalmisdeedsuntilthey
arefinallyled withProspero'said to patienceand repentance.
Of the others,Alonso puts offhope, and Sebastianand Antonioplan to
kill him. At this point (III. iii.) we have "Solemn and strangemusic" and
Prosperoentersinvisibleto the men below. Several "strangeshapes" also
appear,bearinga banquet.They "dance about it with gentleactionsof salu-
tation; and, invitingthe King, etc.,to eat, theydepart."When the men at-
temptto eat, Ariel fliesin as a harpy,"and witha quaint devicethe banquet
vanishes."Then Ariel accuses Alonso, Sebastian,and Antonio of sin and
threatens punishment.
If Prosperorepresents soul and Ariel spirit,then we mightsay that they
represent, in this scene,soul and spiritwithinthe King Alonso and his fol-
lowers.The feast,then,becomesan image createdwithineach man by his

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REJECTION OF A VANITY 429
own soul and spirit.Some directevidencesupportsthis interpretation. Gon-
zalo apparentlysees the feastspreadand hears the harmoniousmusic at the
beginningof the scene: "Marvelloussweet music!" he says. And he sees the
strangecreatures.But apparentlyhe does not hear the harpy accuse the
othersand threatenretribution. For afterAlonso's fearfulreactionto Ar-
iel's speech,Gonzalo asks him, "I' th' name of somethingholy, sir, why
stand you,/In this strangestare (11.94-95). Alonso replies,"O, it is mon-
strous,monstrous!/Methoughtthe billows spoke and told me of it" (11.
95-96). Quite clearlyGonzalo has seen only the harmoniouspart of the vis-
ion, the feastspread; only the threeaccusedones have witnessedthe dishar-
moniousinterruption.
Banquet spread and banquet interrupted, then,are separatevisions; and
they are internalvisions-imaginedratherthan actual. The banquet is an
image of order,satisfaction, fullness;it is in facta momentary utopiandream.
But unless the man himselfbe orderly,the utopian dream will be im-
mediatelydestroyedby guilt and fear as it is destroyedfor the threeguilty
men.For loyalGonzalo,however,theinterruption doesnotoccur.
When the feastis broughtin by Prospero's"meanerministers"(perhaps
doubts,hopes) everyonenotesthe harmony.Antoniosays that he will now
believeany traveler'stale: "Travellersne're did lie,/ Though fools at home
condemn'em" (11.26-27). Alonso decidesto "stand to and feed,"to partake
of the order,the fullness.But such satisfactionis not possible when one
is disorderly."Thunder and lightning"occur, Shakespeare'susual emblems
of disorder.Ariel,as a harpy,claps wings on the table and the banquetvan-
ishes.Then he calls Alonso,Antonio,and Sebastian"threemen of sin" whom
destinyhas broughtto this island that "man doth not inhabit."Ariel con-
tinues,"I have made you mad; / And even with such-likevalour men hang
and drown/Their properselves" (11.58-6o). The criminalshave lost their
"proper" selves,have broughtthemselvesto the madness of guilt, doubt,
and fear.Antonioand Sebastiandraw,and the harpycries,"you fools! I and
my fellows/Are ministersof Fate" (11.6o-6i). If Ariel and the shapes are,
as the play seems to indicate,partsof the essentialmakeup of everyman,
and if theyare ministersof fate,thenthe agentswherebyfateworksare no
more or less than man's own characterand being.Fate stillremainsoutside
man; Ariel says that he is a ministerof fate; he does not say that he is
fateitself.But fateworksthroughman's character;and so, in a sense,a man,
the subjectand rulerof his own character,is the subjectand rulerof fate.
How he ordersthe elementswithinhimselfor allows them to order him
determineswhat his fate will be. Or anotherway to put it is that a man's
choicesdetermine his salvationor damnation.
Ariel now accuses the criminalsof supplantingProspero.As spirit,that
part which helps a man maintain order within himself,Ariel is quite
properlyfulfillinghis functionat this point. Under the directionand con-
trol of Prospero,he is leading sinfulmen back to nature,to "clear life en-
suing." ProsperocomplimentsAriel on his effectiveness: "They now are in
my power" (1. 90). The unnaturalmen, throughthe promptingof spirit,
throughguilt,have now been led back towardreason,but theyhave not yet
attainedthat order withinthemselvesthat will lead to order in the realm.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
430 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

Alonso decidesto commitsuicide; he needs to learn patience.Sebastianand

Antonio attemptto fightthe visionaryshapes; they remain incapable of
repentancejust as Caliban remainsincapableof nurture.At the end of the
play,they,like Stephanoand Trinculo,are two thata rulermust"know and
own" just as Caliban is a "thingof darkness"that Prosperomust "acknowl-
edge mine." AlthoughProsperoincludesSebastianand Antonioin the gen-
eral forgiveness,their only "repentance"is Sebastian's remark that "The
Devil speaksin" Prospero(V. i. I28).
Even while he is guiding Alonso back to patienceand order and pre-
paring for the attack by Caliban, ProsperosupportsFerdinand in his pa-
tience.Ferdinand swims to shore and hears Ariel sing (I. ii. 387): "Where
should this musicbe? I' th' air or th' earth?"At first,close to despair,he is
able to hearonlyat a distancethesongof spirit:

It soundsnomore;andsure,itwaitsupon
Somegodo' th'island.Sitting
on a bank,
WeepingagaintheKingmyfather's wrack,
Thismusiccreptbymeuponthewaters,
Allayingboththeirfuryandmypassion
Withitssweetair.
(I. ii. 388-93)

Then, afterhe meets Miranda-innocence-and falls in love with her, he

bears patientlythe trialsput upon him and proveshimselfworthyof being
united with Miranda. Finally he is able himselfto witnessspirit; he, like
Prospero,has learnedpatienceand has not let fleshovercomehim; he has
assertedthe spiritualwithin himself.To celebratethis "Fair encounter/
Of twomostrareaffections" (III. i. 74-75),Prosperocallsforththemasque.
This masque is performedby Ariel and "the rabble"under the direction
of Prospero: "A contractof true love to celebrate/ And some donation
freelyto estate/On the blest lovers" (IV.i . 84-86). The masque continues
until ProsperoremembersCaliban; then it vanishesabruptly.Prosperocalls
the masque a "vanity,"an illusion: he tells Ariel,

Go bringtherabble,
O'erwhomI givetheepow'r,heretothisplace.
Incitethemtoquickmotion;forI must
Bestowupontheeyesofthisyoungcouple
Somevanity ofmineart.It is mypromise,
Andtheyexpectit fromme.
(IV. i. 37-42)

Such a vanityis achievedby the spiritualin man, by Ariel and Prospero's

art.The masque is not based on actuality;it is derivedfromthe imagination.
The rabbleseem to be the variousimpulsesof the imaginationthatthe spiri-
tual in man can gatherinto an orderlyvision.ProsperotellsFerdinandthat
theseare

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REJECTION OF A VANITY 43I

Spirits,whichby mineart
call'dto enact
I havefromtheirconfines
Mypresent fancies.
Ferdinand.Letmelivehereever!
So rarea wond'red anda wise
father
MakesthisplaceParadise.
(IV. i. I20-24)

While the masque is playing,we are momentarily in an imaginaryparadise.

to
The firstparadise,whichGonzalo wishes re-establish, is past,and his wish,
as he knows,is only a fancy.So with Prospero'smasque too; it is a fanciful
thatlastsonlyso longas one is ableto forgetCaliban.
fiction
The reapersenter,and join withthe nymphsin a gracefuldance "towards
the end whereofProspero startssuddenly,and speaks; afterwhich, to a
strange,hollow,and confusednoise,theyheavilyvanish."Prosperosays,

I hadforgotthatfoulconspiracy
Of thebeastCalibanandhisconfederates
Againstmylife.The minute oftheirplot
Is almostcome.-[To theSpirits]Welldone!
Avoid!No more!
Ferdinand.Thisis strange. in somepassion.
Yourfather's
That workshimstrongly.
(IV. i. I39-44)

The masque, a thingof spiritas well as are the books that teach Prospero
patience,cannot,like patience,subdue the passionsof unrestrained flesh.It
is chased away by the coming,by even the remembrance of the treacheryof
Caliban. A spiritual utopia is impossibleeven to%imagine when one feels
passion.The momentProsperois troubledby passion his art fails him-his
patienceand trustin Providenceare momentarily disturbed.The confusion
and hollownessthat end the masque will continueuntil Prosperois again
able to conquerhis vexationand subdueCaliban.
Miranda recognizesthat Prosperois "touch'dwith anger,"more touched
in factthan everbefore,when he tellsFerdinandthatthe actors,"all spirits,"
have "meltedinto air." Thus too shall men disappear:"We are such stuff/
As dreams are made on, and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep"
(IV. i. I56-58). But then Prosperoqualifieshis pessimisticoutlineof man by
admittingthathe is vexed:

Myold brainis troubled.

withmyinfirmity.
Be notdisturb'd
intomycell
Ifyoube pleas'd,retire
Andthererepose.A turnortwoI'll walk
To stillmybeatingmind.
Ferdinand.Miranda.We wishyourpeace.
Comewitha thought!
Prospero.
(IV. i. I59-64)

It is easy to be thrownoff the track here by the very magnificenceof

Shakespeare'spoetry.But when one pays attentionto exactlywhat is being

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
432 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

said by that poetryone discovers,firstof all, that Prosperois angry.Since

he is speakingfrompassion,not fromreasonedconsideration, his pessimistic
view of the world as unsubstantialpageant is not authoritative. Although
the spiritual,the masque in this case, has vanishedfor a time when the
anger persists,it will and does returnwith the returnof reason and peace.
Prospero himselfimmediatelyrealizes, and tells Ferdinand, that he has
spoken in the weakness of anger. His brain was troubled and momen-
tarilyinfirm.He wants to still his beating brain, and peace returnswith
the thought:thought,i.e., reason,overcomespassion and permitsthe return
to relianceon spiritand controlof flesh.Ariel returnsimmediatelywith the
returnof reason to Prospero.And althoughthe masque itselfdoes not re-
turn,althoughit is merelypageant that feedsthe spiritand not the body,
the thingof whichit is a part,the spiritualof man,does returnand remains
withProsperofortherestof theplay.
The masque in The Tempestis a fancifulideal world,a worldthanman can
inhabitonly momentarily because man's permanentplace is in this world
wherethe lustsof the fleshas well as dutyhave theirplace. The imagined
ideal of a paradiseis not finallyachievablein The Tempest,or in life,be-
cause it is a fantasyin whicha man's dutyhas no part.The greatergood for
man is the good of life in society,and utopiandreamsdo not supportthis
greatergood of fellowship.Accordingto Hallett Smith,"Ethically,pastoral
supportsthe contemplativelife,and as such it is always vulnerableto the
objectionthatvirtuecan consistonly in action."' The -verythingthatmakes
a dream of an ideal world possiblealso makes it unattainable.The civilized
man, like Prospero,is the one who desiresa returnto simplicityand nature
in orderto escape the responsibilityand disorderof life.But such escape is
only fanciful,for the place to correctdisorderis at home. Prosperomust
finallyrealize that he cannot turn fromhimselfor his dukedom; he must
attendto Caliban and his misledsubjects.
Althoughman must live in a world otherthan that of fancifulmasque,
man can yet be reasonableand responsible.So Prosperoprovesas he rights
affairsin his realmand guides his subjectsback to order.First,withthe help
of Caliban, he proveshis power to resistcorruptappetite.Ariel returnsto
Prospero:

Ariel.ThythoughtsI cleaveto.What'sthypleasure?
Prospero.Spirit,
We mustprepare tomeetwithCaliban.
Ariel.Ay,mycommander. WhenI presented Ceres,
I thought tohavetoldtheeofit,butI fear'd
LestI mightangerthee.
(IV. i. i65-69)

Ariel cleaves to thought;spiritcleaves to reason.Prosperocalls on spiritin

orderto meetanotherattackby flesh,but Ariel will not remindhim of Cali-
ban because the remembrance may cause anger which will forcethe retreat
21 HallettSmith,ElizabethanPoetry:
A Studyin Conventions,
Meaning,and Expression(Cam-
bridge,Mass., I952), p. 57.

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REJECTION OF A VANITY 433
of spiritand theimproper advanceof flesh.Prosperoasks whereArielleft
"thesevarlets."Ariel repliesthat,"redhotwith drinking,"the drunkards
stumbledinto the "filthymantledpool beyondyourcell" (IV. i. i82). So
drunkenness leadsthemfoullyastray.
The King finallyfindshis way and repentsafterapproaching despair.
Prosperoforgiveshim-aswellas theless-moved andAntonio:
Sebastian

Thoughwiththeirhighwrongs to th'quick,
I am struck
Yetwithmynobler reason
'gainstmyfury
actionis
Do I takepart.Therarer
Theybeingpenitent,
thanin vengeance.
In virtue
ofmypurpose
Thesoledrift dothextend
Nota frown further.
(V. i. 25-30)

EarlierProspero was angry;he stillneededhis magicrobes.Now he is able

to forgivewrongand to act as the agentof returned order.With order
achieved,he is ableto put asidehis for
magic, he has enoughto be
learned
patientandcharitable.
Clearerreasonbringsawarenessof fault:"theirrisingsenses,/Beginto
chasethe ignorantfumesthatmantle /Their clearerreason"(V. i.66-68).
Prosperoremindsthe threeof theirguilt and tells themthat theyare
"pinch'd reasonreturns:
fo'tnow"(V. i. 74).Withthepinching,

Theirunderstanding
toswell,
Begins tide
andtheapproaching
Willshortly
fillthereasonable
shore,
Thatnowliesfoulandmuddy.
(V. i. 79-82)

The son is foundand Gonzalocallson thegodsto blesstheyoungcouple,

"For it is youthathavechalk'dforththeway / Whichbrought us hither"
(V. i. 203-4).The gods lead men to orderand peace whenmen cooperate.
Prosperorejoicesthatso muchhas been found:a wifeforFerdinand,a
dukedomforProspero, and each man forhimself"Whenno man was his
own" (V. i. 2I3). The returnto natureand orderthata man accomplishes
on theislandis a finding of his trueand higherself.Alonsosays,"These
arenotnaturalevents;theystrengthen / Fromstrange to stranger" (V. i. 227-
28). He is wrong,foralthoughstrange, theyare natural.
Trinculo,Stephano, and Calibanare broughtforthto be accused.Pros-
perosays,"Two of thesefellowsyou/Mustknowand own; thisthingof
darknessI / Acknowledge mine" (V. i. 274-76).Caliban fearshe will be
"pinch'dto death,"but Prosperoacceptsthe fleshas partof himself, but a
partthathenceforth will be keptin order.Someindication existsthatPros-
perohas finally succeededin imposing decencyuponCaliban.The constant
dangerof rebellion is past,Calibanhas lost,and he acceptshisdefeat:"I'll be
wisehereafter /And seekforgrace"(V. i. 294-95).He will notonlybe use-
fulbut,possibly,good.
Prospero, now attunedto the spiritualand in controlof the corporeal,

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
434 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

no longerneedsto rule by magicor force.The freestatethathe attains

apartfromhismagicis hisnoblest.
Butthatfreedom requiresthathe return
to his dukedom,forthe same reasonthathis passive,ideal life was not
achievable.
Bacontellsusin TheAdvancement
ofLearning,

Afterthecreation
wasfinished,it is setdownuntous thatmanwasplacedin the
gardento worktherein;
whichworkso appointed to himcouldbe no otherthan
workofcontemplation;
thatis,whentheendofworkis butforexercise andexperi-
ment,notfornecessity;
fortherebeingthennoreluctation norsweat
ofthecreature,
ofthebrow,man'semployment mustofconsequence havebeenmatterofdelight
in
theexperiment,
andnotmatter oflabour fortheuse[III,290].

But afterthe fall,man had to labor for his daily food,and work of
activitybecamemoreimportant thanworkof contemplation. And so things
remain.Each man laborsaccording to his placein theorderof things, and
theplaceofthedukeis at theheadofhisdukedom.
But Prospero returnsto his dukedoma different man,forhe has learned
patience;he has learnedto controlflesh;he has learnedto balancelearning
and responsibility and to bear affliction,neitherdelighting in being af-
flicted,forsuchis pride,nor despairing; he has learnedto thinkof death
withoutwishingforit or fearingit, considering, as Erasmuswould have
one do, "howfullof griefand misery, howshortand transitory, thispresent
lifeis; howon everysidedeathliethin waitagainstus, and suddenly catch-
ethus; howunsurewe areofonemoment oflife;howgreatperilit is to con-
tinuethatkindof life,whereinif suddendeathshouldtakeus, as it often
fortuneth, we werebut lostforever"(p. 522). Prosperois surelyprepared
foranyaccident.
The Tempestindicates thatin thisworldwheremenpasstheirtransitory
lives,no utopiaexistswhereone can entirely escapetheweightof his own
being.He may escapemomentarily the complexities of life by imagining
forhimself an idealworldwhereloveand reasonreignor wherefruitgrows
without buttheimaginedworldcan existonlyas longas he is
cultivation,
freefromthemoment at hand.The verymenwhomostfeeltheyearning for
escape,sophisticatedmenlikeProspero, are themenwho haveleastchance
to escape,fortheyhavetoolittletimeto passin fanciful worlds.The masque
in The Tempestis partof a largercontext. As a creation of thecontempla-
tive imagination, it springsfromthe same desirefor a passivelife that
leads one to studyand seclusion.And like passivelife apart fromthe
world,the fanciful worldof the masquecannotbe sustainedby a reason-
ableandproper man,forhemustliveintherealworldofdutyandaction.

Colorado
StateUniversity

This content downloaded from 189.146.169.248 on Wed, 28 May 2014 14:03:37 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions