The Tempest Thematic Statements

Thematic Statment of Power and Forgiveness 

In Shakespeare's The Tempest, he establishes and explores ideas of power and forgiveness: The pursuit of power is what drives the story, from the events that lead to it and to climax, however, the act of forgiveness is what truly results in the resolution of the story. Antonio's greed for power and conspiring with Alonso causes Prospero to create his agenda for vengeance which he uses as motivation to use his own power of magic, by manipulating others and revealing their true selves, as power can corrupt us and cause us to be the worst of ourselves, evident from the downfall of Antonio and Sebastion. However, for Prospero, the reason he does not fall to his doom is that his agenda changes to that one of virtue and forgiveness due to circumstances he is put in, which ends up acting as both his own resolution, but the story's resolution.