He is a magician, and right at the beginning of the play, he reveals to his daughter that he has created the storm. In The Tempest, Prospero takes that role, but his importance as a character reaches beyond this block. The most important element of comedy is the block to young love. Learn more about The Tempest-Shakespeare’s farewell to art. To understand The Tempest, recognizing and understanding elements of comedy are also essential. He breaks many conventions in The Tempest and, in general, his last four plays. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is best understood by reading and considering all the elements of romance, tragedy, and comedy in it. (Image: John William Waterhouse/Public domain) Sotheby’s.In order to block his daughter’s love, Prospero, a sorcerer, creates a storm. John William Waterhouse, Miranda, 1875, private collection. Despite this, it illustrates the exquisite and confidence skill of the artist. In addition, the ship, sliced in two by powerful waves, leads our eyes towards the threatening rocks.Īn earlier version of Miranda, painted by Waterhouse in 1875, shows a very conventional and delicate atmosphere. The picture has been painted in cold tones, underlining the sense of loss and numbness. Meanwhile the depiction of the storm produces a frightening scene in the background. William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2. It should the good ship so have swallow’d and (…)” Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e’er Oh! The cry did knockĪgainst my very heart. Who had, no doubt, some noble creatures in her,ĭash’d all to pieces. With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel, The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,īut that the sea, mounting to th’ welkin’s cheek, Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. “ If by your art, my dearest father, you have Specifically, she holds her hand to her heart to express the pain and despair she is suffering at the loss of life. In the painting we can’t see Miranda’s face, yet we can feel her sorrow. John William Waterhouse, Miranda, 1916, private collection. Waterhouse has chosen the most tragic and dramatic moment of the drama – the shipwreck. Despite this, she is depicted throughout the drama with concern and intensity. In the play Miranda is the only female character to appear on stage. In particular, he tended to focus ladies who were experiencing a revelation. Waterhouse had deserted classical myths as topics in favour of medieval and Renaissance narratives. Significantly, it became one of Waterhouse’s most recognized works and the most popular illustration of the play. This painting, created in 1916 is an example of this, being a representation of The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Hence they wanted to refer their work to the classical literature of Britain’s past. Sotheby’s.Ī sense of patriotism, nurtured through the poetry of Tennyson and the work of Shakespeare, stimulated many British artists, including Waterhouse. Accordingly, many of his artworks were inspired by ancient Greek mythology, Arthurian legends, and literature. John William Waterhouse (1849–1917) was an English painter who embraced the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’s style and subject matter.
This happened as a result of having been exiled from Milan by Prospero’s power-seeking brother, Antonio. She has been detained on an island, together with her father, Prospero, for almost twelve years.
Miranda, from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest is the subject of a painting by John William Waterhouse.