Power/control

“What cares these roarers for the name of the king?”

• Boatswain A1 S1

• “roarers'“ - personification, animalistic language, lion imagery. Uncontrollable & powerful force at top of hierarchy

• Reducing kingship to just a “name” - symbolic rather than holding any physical power. Suggests political authority is fragile and performative, not absolute, compared to the overwhelming nature of the storm

• Subverts great chain of being AO3 - from a eco critical perspective the storm is presented as superior to mankind which Boatswain acknowledges

• Dramatic irony that Boatswain says this quote as he is a lower-order character that challenges authority & inverts social hierarchy, just like the storm that brings them to tabula rasa

“I pray now, keep below!” “Keep your cabins!”

• Boatswain A1 S1

• Imperatives - authoritative & commanding, but still respectful due to his position as a lower-order character, he knows his place in the Great Chain of Being

• Inversion of hierarchy as skill & experience trumps social rank - overturning of order on the boat, foreshadowing what is yet to come on topsy-turvy island where no political structures exist

• Challenges Platonic notions of fixed, idealised leadership, instead presenting authority as contingent upon experience and effectiveness. However, as the Boatswain’s power dissipates once the storm subsides, the play ultimately suggests that while Aristotelian leadership may be functionally superior, it remains subordinate to entrenched social structures.

“make the rope of his destiny our cable”

• Gonzalo about Boatswain A1 S1

• Maritime imagery - blends nautical lexis with abstract notions of fate, attempting to render “destiny” as something tangible and controllable.

• However, while the imperative “make” implies human agency, the line ultimately exposes the inadequacy of philosophical reasoning in the face of real danger. In contrast to the Boatswain’s decisive, action-driven leadership, Gonzalo’s language is conceptually elaborate but practically futile. Shakespeare thus juxtaposes abstract thought with experiential knowledge, suggesting that true authority, particularly in crisis, derives not from intellectualisation but from effective action

“Thy father was the Duke of Milan and a prince of power”

• Prospero A1 S2

“being transported and rapt in secret studies” “I thus neglecting worldly ends”

• Semantic field of absorption and transcendence, suggesting Prospero is emotionally & mentally removed from reality & totally consumed by knowledge

• “Rapt” has almost religious/spiritual connotations, like a kind of intellectual ecstasy

• “secret” - isolation, possibly dangerous or forbidden knowledge (AO3 James I daemonolegie book). Creates a sense of separation from society and duty as his knowledge becomes private

• Honest confession from Prospero or self-justification?

• “neglecting worldly ends” - implies a conscious abandonment of duty in favour of intellectual pursuit. Shakespeare thus presents Prospero as a failed ruler, challenging Platonic ideals of the philosopher-king by demonstrating that knowledge without practical engagement leads to political instability. Instead, the play aligns more closely with Aristotelian notions of leadership grounded in action and responsibility.

“my library was dukedom large enough”

• Equates intellectualism with political authority, revealing his prioritisation of private study over public duty.

• Complacent satisfaction in withdrawal, while the possessive “my” reinforces his self-contained, inward focus.

• Shakespeare thereby critiques the dangers of intellectual isolation, presenting Prospero as a ruler who substitutes knowledge for action and consequently loses real power. Ironic that he criticizes Antonio for taking power when really it is self inflicted