Sunday, 7 June 2026

The Tempest II: Brave New World

Murder features prominently is Shakespeare's The Tempest;  Antonio (Prospero's traitorous brother) attempted to kill Prospero and his daughter Miranda by setting them adrift;   Caliban, the island's native, plots with the shipwrecked drunkards Stephano (the butler) and Trinculo (the jester) to murder Prospero in his sleep and take control of the island; Antonio persuades Sebastian (the King's brother) to murder the sleeping King Alonso and his advisor, Gonzalo, so Sebastian can become the King of Naples.

Prospero has before him, those who have caused him harm and those who continue to plot these extreme crimes. Yet he has a daughter who falls in love and marries; how is he to treat these evil doers? What is the balance of justice and punishment to be delivered as his daughter goes forth into the brave new world with her new husband Ferdinand? 

Prospero is clearly all powerful; his magic places all where he wants them. 

Emma

Jane Austen's Emma is usually described as a novel of manners; it is a manual of behaviour so as to belong and succeed in polite society. Emma, the protagonist, is a young woman who initially gives advice on how to make a good match for marriage and yet ironically learns about herself, leading her to be happily matched somewhat unexpectedly. Property, ancestry and education are the essential tokens on display and for exchange in achieving the goal of a prosperous and happy marriage in a world of codified etiquette.