2.

What role does Ariel

play as a Harpy? How
does it prove to bee
effective?

Harpy as the name given to

the creature with wings and
talons of birds, but
with faces of women. The
episode of the play is based
on one of the experiences
of Virgil's Aeneas and his
Trojan companions. They
had prepared a meal for
themselves when a flock of
harpies descended on the
food, fouling and destroy-
ing it. The creatures were
invulnerable, and would not
depart until their leader had
delivered a grim prophecy to
Aeneas.

Vanita Saxena/ISC/ TSVS

In this play, Ariel plays the
role of Harpy and flaps his
wings on the table and the
banquet vanishes. Then
he starts to deliver the
prophecy to Alonso, Sebas-
tian and Antonio. He calls
them sinners, whom Destiny
made sea to blech up onto
the island -where no man
lives, since none of themn
deserve to live. He would1
make them crazy and many
mad people are driven to kill
themselves in desperation.
As a reaction to such threats,
when the courtiers draw
their swords, he calls them
fools and tells that he and
his fellow Harpies carry out
Fate's orders. Their swords
are useless against them
Vanita Saxena/ISC/ TSVS
and they would be more
successful in swinging then
at the empty air or stabbing
at water than trying to cut
even one of his feathers.
Furthermore, he calls his
two other companions, just
as invulnerable as himself.
If the three sinners or their
companions still had the
power to hurt then, they
would find their swords far
too heavy to lift.
Then, after drawing cur-
tains to the introduction, he
serves his purpose and re-
minds them of their impiety
- stealing Prospero's throne

and throwing him and his

innocent child into the sea,
which now takes revenge
on them. He continues that
Vanita Saxena/ISC/ TSVS
to punish them for that
horrible crime, the higher
powers-delaying their
punishment, not forgetting
about it have stirred up the
sea and all the creatures of
Earth against them. They
have taken Alonso's son
from him and have ordered
Harpies to destroy them
slowly in a way worse than
sudden death could ever be.
He will stay with them at
every step of their way. Then
he utters that the only way
to protect themselves from
the angry higher powers,
which are ready to fall upon
their head on the desolate
island is to be sincerely sorry
in their hearts for what they
have done and to live inno-
Vanita Saxena/ISC/ TSVS
cent lives from that time
onwards.
The effectiveness of Pros-
pero's plan of the Harpy's
role enacted by Ariel proves
to be efficacious when
the three sinners became
desperate and dangerously
reckless at their actions,
after hearing the warning.
Alonso mourns while Sebas
tian and Antonio prepare
ecstatically for fight. Ariel's
role as Harpy was significant
since he has been successful
in reminding them of their
misdeeds and arising their
prick of conscience.

Vanita Saxena/ISC/ TSVS