Comparison of the Tempest and Forbidden Planet
Jamie Roberts
ENGL 1000P2
Prof. B. Johnson
8 February, 2010
Morbius’ Fatal Folly
As pointed out by Merrell Knighten in his essay called The Triple Paternity of Forbidden Planet, the main difference between Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the 1956 science fiction adaptation Forbidden Planet (referred to as FP) is the use and control of power. In The Tempest, Prospero knows what power he holds through the use of his books and spells, and ultimately uses these powers to restore order to the island. However, in forbidden Planet, Morbius’ powers are unknown to him and ultimately lead to his demise. This essay will show how Morbius may be considered a more disastrous character than Prospero due to his lack of realization of the power which he possesses, compare and contrast the difference/similarities between the parallel characters from the film and the play, and show how the science fiction genre and Freudian psychology play a large role in the culmination of Forbidden Planet. In contrast with Prospero, the character of Dr. Morbius does not possess the knowledge of his power. Prospero uses his magic to have Caliban and Ariel act out his will, whereas Morbius uses the Id-monster unknowingly to perform the most heinous of acts. As pointed out in Campos’ article, The Tempest’s Prospero uses the power he possesses to order the chaos, whereas in FP, Morbius’ power is used to provoke that chaos (Campos, 288). It is as though Prospero’s knowledge of his power is his savior because he only uses the magic to restore that which was taken from him by his usurping brother Antonio. Once Prospero had completed the task of conjuring up all the inhabitants of the island to his cell, he vowed to “drown [his] book” (Shakespeare, 5.1.57), revealing that he will rid himself of all magical power after what is rightfully his is in his belonging once again – namely his dukedom. Morbius had no such chance at redemption because of the fact that his power was unknown to him until it was
ENGL 1000P2
Prof. B. Johnson
8 February, 2010
Morbius’ Fatal Folly
As pointed out by Merrell Knighten in his essay called The Triple Paternity of Forbidden Planet, the main difference between Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the 1956 science fiction adaptation Forbidden Planet (referred to as FP) is the use and control of power. In The Tempest, Prospero knows what power he holds through the use of his books and spells, and ultimately uses these powers to restore order to the island. However, in forbidden Planet, Morbius’ powers are unknown to him and ultimately lead to his demise. This essay will show how Morbius may be considered a more disastrous character than Prospero due to his lack of realization of the power which he possesses, compare and contrast the difference/similarities between the parallel characters from the film and the play, and show how the science fiction genre and Freudian psychology play a large role in the culmination of Forbidden Planet. In contrast with Prospero, the character of Dr. Morbius does not possess the knowledge of his power. Prospero uses his magic to have Caliban and Ariel act out his will, whereas Morbius uses the Id-monster unknowingly to perform the most heinous of acts. As pointed out in Campos’ article, The Tempest’s Prospero uses the power he possesses to order the chaos, whereas in FP, Morbius’ power is used to provoke that chaos (Campos, 288). It is as though Prospero’s knowledge of his power is his savior because he only uses the magic to restore that which was taken from him by his usurping brother Antonio. Once Prospero had completed the task of conjuring up all the inhabitants of the island to his cell, he vowed to “drown [his] book” (Shakespeare, 5.1.57), revealing that he will rid himself of all magical power after what is rightfully his is in his belonging once again – namely his dukedom. Morbius had no such chance at redemption because of the fact that his power was unknown to him until it was
Cited: Campos, Miguel Angel Gonzalez. “Shakespeare in Outer Space: Forbidden Planet as Adaptation of The Tempest.” Sederi 9 1998: 285-90. Print. Forbidden Planet. Dir. Fred M. Wilcox. Perf. Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielson. MGM, 1956. Film. Knighten, Merrell. “The Triple Paternity of Forbidden Planet.” Shakespeare on Film. Vol. 12. Issue 3, Summer 1994. Print Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. New York: Penguin, 1999. Print.