Use of Contrasts in Act I of The Tempest
...low, stupid, and lazy. Gonzalo and Ferdinand were also contrasted in this act. In Act I, scene I lines 28-33, Gonzalo made fun of the boatswain by saying that he didn't look like the type to drown, instead he resembled more of the type to be hanged. Thus implying that no one on the ship would drown. This gesture by Gonzalo showed that he was an optimistic person. On the other hand, after landing on the island in Act I, scene ii, Ferdinand grew worry of his father and immediately presumed he was dead. He even went as far as saying that he was now the new King of Naples (Shakespeare 45). Therefore, one can see that Ferdinand did not have a positive outlook and wasn't as optimistic as Gonzalo. From the contrasts between Ariel - Caliban, and Gonzalo - Ferdinand, one develops a character profile of the four and starts to recognize some ideas that Shakespeare was trying to bring about in The Tempest. Contrast between the settings was also present in Act I. The tempest in the beginning of the play caused violent winds and total confusion aboard the ship. This chaos disturbed Shakespeare's Social Order. The boatswain, not the King, was giving out orders to the people, while the King and his son were praying below. Thus, the whole Social Order was inverted. However when ship landed on the island, the setting of the play changed from the terrifying storm to the delightfulness of the island. In turn, the Social Order was also put back to its original state by the introduction of Prospero and his ‘commoners' Ariel and Caliban. The reader can create a kind of atmosphere from this contrast. Recall that in Act I, Scene II, Shakespeare offered a parallel, or at least a contrast, in the way Miranda and Caliban were educated and how they used their education. Whereas education had beneficial effects on Miranda's high nature, its effects on Caliban's low nature were extremely harmful. Prospero took great pains in order to educate his daughter: Have I, t...