Illusion And Magic
William Shakespeare was a creative playwright who wrote dozens of remarkable plays. He ingeniously drew from his life for inspiration. This was evident in his final play, The Tempest, into which he imbued his personal experiences. By doing so he was able to highlight the differences between illusion and reality through the actions of his characters.
Shakespeare used his characters, their actions, dialogue, settings, and references to the real world to create many layers of illusion. He illustrates the idea of illusion primarily through Prospero, who is an illusion himself, to manipulate and control the island and the people who chance upon it. Prospero demonstrates powers of illusion time and time again with his magic, and it first appeared after the shipwreck he caused. The people on board the ship were all separated across the island and each thought that they were the only survivors. Prospero allowed the reality that all of the passengers were safe, to escape the awareness of all the other characters but himself and his servant Ariel.
Shakespeare further uses magic to represent the element of illusion during the banquet scene in Act three. Here he used Ariel to create a grand banquet to tempt King Alonso and his men. The apparition causes them to lose sight of the gravity of their situation and deludes them into believing the fantastic. Antonio, Prospero's usurping brother, demonstrates this delusion by stating that after seeing the feast appear out of thin air, he would believe anything, "I'll believe both; And what does else want credit, come to me And I'll be sworn 'tis true. Travelers ne're did lie,..." (III,iii,27-29). However, Shakespeare also makes Alonso and his men remember the reality of their pasts when Ariel, as a harpy, makes the banquet vanish and reminds Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio of their involvement in usurping Prospero. This was ironic because Ariel shows the truth to them through the guise of a mythical creature, which cannot exist in the
Shakespeare used his characters, their actions, dialogue, settings, and references to the real world to create many layers of illusion. He illustrates the idea of illusion primarily through Prospero, who is an illusion himself, to manipulate and control the island and the people who chance upon it. Prospero demonstrates powers of illusion time and time again with his magic, and it first appeared after the shipwreck he caused. The people on board the ship were all separated across the island and each thought that they were the only survivors. Prospero allowed the reality that all of the passengers were safe, to escape the awareness of all the other characters but himself and his servant Ariel.
Shakespeare further uses magic to represent the element of illusion during the banquet scene in Act three. Here he used Ariel to create a grand banquet to tempt King Alonso and his men. The apparition causes them to lose sight of the gravity of their situation and deludes them into believing the fantastic. Antonio, Prospero's usurping brother, demonstrates this delusion by stating that after seeing the feast appear out of thin air, he would believe anything, "I'll believe both; And what does else want credit, come to me And I'll be sworn 'tis true. Travelers ne're did lie,..." (III,iii,27-29). However, Shakespeare also makes Alonso and his men remember the reality of their pasts when Ariel, as a harpy, makes the banquet vanish and reminds Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio of their involvement in usurping Prospero. This was ironic because Ariel shows the truth to them through the guise of a mythical creature, which cannot exist in the