The Tempest Comparative Essay

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William Shakespeare's The Tempest is probably his last play, written in 1610-11, and as such it has some of the more eloquent passages than any of his previous works. In the original version, the story is set on a remote island, 'where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place, using illusion and skillful manipulation. Does Julie Taymor film adaptation of the play the tempest work? The film adaptation of Shakespeare play is an inefficiently executed take on Shakespeare play. Therefore, it doesn’t work. Shakespeare's epic play is translated from page to screen, with the gender of the main character, Prospero, changed from male to female. In Taymor version of the Tempest was to illustrate…show more content…
While many will argue in regard to Helen Mirren's playing Prospero, they seem to be hung up on the more "distracting" elements of the movie: the special effects were too flashy; Miranda and Ferdinand are lackluster, and Russell Brand was irritating. One has to wade through the obnoxious repetition of these phrases before one can even find a decent examination. The problem is, these are only surface-level judgments, and upon further analyzing, the true beauty of the film shines through. The main argument against this interpretation appears to be an outrage at the over-usage of CGI. One reviewer goes so far as to claim are that the effect “cheeseball visual effects sending Ben Whishaw's sprite, Ariel, zinging all over the place in super-fast motion, when he's not hovering in place like the Ziggy Stardust dress-up version of the 2001 Star Child” (Phillips) Michael. "Shakespeare Resists Taymor's Twists." Chicago Tribune.…show more content…
Taymor’s most provocative and persuasive act of revision" (newyorktime review). In Taymor's version, Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year daughter on a ship. She ends up on an island; it's a tabula rasa: no society, so the mother figure becomes a father figure to Miranda. As a result of this change, I feel as if the film becomes incomprehensible. From Prospero to Prospera Taymor's, The Tempest Adaptations change the atmosphere or ambience of an environment, slightly altering Prospero personality, and removing certain aspects of Prospero altogether. This modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest allows a female to take on the lead role, and by doing such, it changes the dynamic interaction between Prospero and Miranda. In addition, Ariel is Prospera's "tricksy" spirit servant and attends to Prospero's every need. Unlike Caliban, Ariel has a (mostly) warm and loving relationship with Prospero, who saved Ariel when he arrived on the
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