Question- The rarer action is in virtue than in rengeance." Bring out the truth of this statement in the light of the Tempest.

Or
'Forgiveness and freedom are the themes of the Tempest. Discuss.
Or
"It is a man's great and noble privilage to serve out of love." Discuss.
Or
Why does Prospero not take revenge on his enemies when they are in his power? In what respect does this differ from the earlier plays of Shakespeare?
Or
'The Tempest' ends with a note of reconciliation and forgiveness. Do you agree?

Answer -

Forgiveness and Freedom - Theme of the Tempest

Absence of Spirit of Punishment and Retribution: We find a marked difference in the latest group of Shakespeare's plays in which The Tempest is the very last. The concept of remorseless destiny is not portrayed. Forgiveness in the highest Christian fashion has taken place of remoreseless infliction of punishment. Prospero forgives his enemies in keeping with highest religious principles. Dowden speaks about the final period of Shakespeare's plays "Out of the heights". According to W. Turner "Shakespeare has shaken off his indignation against life's injustice, and looks on all the things with a higher and higher knowledge. Forgiveness is the keynote of the final plays. Reconciliation is their theme."

Value of Forgiveness: The Tempest conveys to us the greatest values of forgiveness. Despite his suffering at the hands of his enemies Prospero's attitude towards his enemies is determined by feeling of compassion and pity. He was Duke of Milan and was expelled from Milan as a result of foul conspiracy hatched by his own brother Antonio. However King Alonso of Italy has his hands in conspiracy because he cooperated Antonio. Antonio, being heartless, did not feel any kind of pity even to the infant daughter of Prospero naming Miranda. Both the banished father and his infant, innocent and the weeping child Miranda were hurried out of the city.

One midnight fated to the purpose
did Antonio open
The gates of Milan, and in the dead of darkness
The ministers for the purpose hurried thence
Me and thy crying self.    -(Act I, Scene II)

Both Prospero and his daughter were exposed to furious winds and waves when they were lifted into a rotten body of an old boat to sigh to the winds which sighed back to them. The anguish of Prospero is expressed well when Prospero says:

There they hoist us,
To cry to the sea that roared to us; to sigh
To the winds, whose pity, sighing back again,
Did us but loving wrong.

All this is enough to show how miserable Prospero would have felt. Later Prospero with the help of his magic books acquired marvellous magic powers. He is now empowered to do anything through his agents Ariel and a lot of celestial figures. Fortunately his enemies fall into his hands. Instead of remorseless infliction of severe punishment on them which they rightly deserved, he tries to waken a sense of guilt in them in his own words.

"Though with their high wrongs I am stuck to the quick
Yet my nobler reason, against my fury
Do I take part, the rarer action is'
In virtue than in vengeance they being patient
The sole drift of my purpose doth extend
Not a frown further."

Prospero believes that rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance and all that he expects from his enemies a feeling of repentence and remorse over misdeed they had done in the part. He also wants them to pledge to lead a life free from sins. He feels that his enemies are repentant when speaks to Ariel "the role drift of my purpose doth extend not a frown further." when Ariel explains to him the distracted condition of his enemies he becomes compassionate and orders Ariel;

"Go release them Ariel,
My charm breaks, their senses I will restore
And they shall be themselves;

Value of Freedom: The concept of freedom as preached in the Tempest does not mean freedom from responsibilities and obligation but it teaches that the true freedom consists in service.

Both Caliban and Ariel are completely under Prospero's command and, as they believe, are suppressed by his colonial tyranny. Their attitudes to freedom and servitude are different. They both serve under the same human master., Prospero and are irrifated under his tyranical rule. When Ariel shows his obstinate disobedience in carrying out Prospero's order, the later is quick to remind him that his art had freed him from Sycorax's witchcraft and is powerful enough to imprision him once again

"If thou murmerst I will rend as ock,
And peg thee in his knotty entrails..."    - (Act I, Scene II)

Ariel is quick to ask his pardon and promise to do his spiriting gently. Prospero promises to give him liberty.

Do so; and after two days
I will discharge thee"     - (Act I, Scene II)

Like Ariel Caliban too is desirous to get freedom but in a different way. When Ariel wants freedom from servitude for ever, Caliban, in contrast to him, does not aspire for physical liberation from servitude but he wants a master who would love him. He is unwilling to serve Prospero because as Caliban thinks. Prospero has taken away his island and made it his prision. Caliban undertakes to serve two masters Stepheno and Trinculo without realising their unworthiness.

"thou shalt be lord... and I will serve thee"

The ultimate humanity is underlined when Prospero pardons him and he (Caliban) declares

"I will be wise hereafter
And see for grace?     - (Act V, Scene I)

When Ariel escapes to be a free spirit away from the world of physical matter, Caliban seems to find a path to enlightment and freedom from his sordid existence under Prospero.

There are two human characters Ferdinand and Miranda who enter into bonds of affection and bond of duty in which they find their truest freedom. Ferdinand willingly serves as a log man in the service of Miranda and under bond of duty for Prospero and Miranda. In fact the toil imposed on him by Prospero is a test of his sincerety in loving Miranda. On the other hand Miranda gladly offers herself to share Ferdinand's hard toil.

The idea which Shakespeare conveys is that the man must forgive others and must be forgiven by others. A man in his practical life may deliberately or undeliberately may commit some wrongs but he must always be prepared for asking pardon. Perhaps at that stage of life, when he was writing the Tempest, he was occupied with the question how he should employ his freedom (Quitting writing plays) and he was enforcing himself that freedom lies in the bonds of duty.

To conclude it may truly be said, that forgiveness and freedom are the keynotes of the Tempest.

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