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Analysis of the plays Endgame and The Tempest
Characters from The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Prospero- wizard and rightful duke of Milan
Miranda- Prospero’s daughter
Caliban- monster born of the witch Sycorax
Ariel- a spirit fairy
Antonio- Prospero’s brother who stole the kingdom from him
Alonso-King of Naples
Ferdinand- son to Alonso
Characters from Endgame by Samuel Beckett
Hamm- Master in the play
Clov- Servant to Hamm
Nagg- Hamm’s father and husband to Nell
Nell- Hamm’s mother and wife to Nagg
- Dialogue Project on the Tempest and Endgame (Composed conversation between the characters in the two plays)
Act 1
Hamm: Can there be misery loftier than mine?
Prospero: Let the tempest begin, to revenge what was taken from me
(As if on cue, a storm erupts at sea causing the ship with Alonso, Ferdinand, Antonio and other seamen to capsize)
Hamm: Where are you, oh, lazy slave?
Clov: Here I am master, just tending to your sick parents
Hamm: Let them be, I am blind, and they are only old.
(Clov mutters to himself wondering if there is any life for a servant like him, frustrated with a selfish master like Hamm)
Hamm: These servants do not know the privilege of serving a master
Prospero: With my magic charms, I taught the ingrate Caliban how to talk and the foolish Ariel to obey my command.
Hamm: Why can’t my dog, my parents, my slave understand my suffering? But does that mean their sufferings equal mine? No doubt (Beckett. 3)
(He whistles, Enter Clov immediately)
Clov: I can’t be getting you up and putting you to bed every five minutes (Beckett, 4)
Hamm: Did you ever see my eyes?
(Prospero summons Ariel and Caliban)
Prospero: There’s more work to do before I free you (Shakespeare, 4)
Ariel: But we want to be free now!
Prospero: Don’t forget, I freed you from the witch’s trap.
Caliban: I helped you when you arrived
Prospero: Obey us or I will punish you (Shakespeare, 5)
(Exit Ariel and Caliban mumbling under their breaths)
Hamm: Slaves, right? They never appreciate their master’s sacrifice.
Prospero: Berate them, and threaten them for them to understand who their master is.
(END OF ACT 1)
ACT 2
Characters
Sycorax: Witch and mother of Caliban
Nell: Hamm’s mother and wife to Nagg
Sycorax: They accuse me of bewitching the island, and now my son is held captive
Nell: In my case, my son treats us like captives, feeding us morsels from our bins. (Curses Hamm under her breath).
Nell: My sight is failing; my hearing is the only thing left.
Sycorax: Prospero is no better than me, he bewitches even the simplest of all love
Nell: Nothing is funnier than happiness. I grant you that (Beckett, 15).
Nell: I heard you banished your former fairy, Ariel
Sycorax: I treated them no lesser, no higher than the wizard Prospero
Nell: I have nothing but an ingrate keeping me company, while my offspring insults me.
Sycorax: Caliban is too soft to take on leadership on the island.
(Caliban’s futile efforts to overthrow Prospero are shown in the background).
Nell: You could see right to the bottom (Beckett, 18)
Sycorax: What do you mean?
Nell: How they treat us like we have no voice of our own.
END OF ACT II
Act 3
Characters
Caliban- monster born of the witch Sycorax
Ariel- a spirit fairy
Clov-Servant to Hamm
Caliban: I hate Prospero! I refuse to do his work (Shakespeare, 8)
Clov: If I could kill him, I could be happy (Beckett, 22)
Ariel: They want to kill you Master (Shakespeare, 10)
Caliban: I thought you wanted to be free, Ariel.
Ariel: Killing the master is no way to get there.
Caliban: What do you mean by that?
Ariel: The spell cast on us by Sycorax still exists.
Clov: I can only speak to my master when he speaks to me; I am forbidden otherwise.
Clov: My master is blind and cannot walk
Ariel: Ours is dictatorial and bewitches his daughter.
Clov: I refused to give mine medicine.
Caliban: Ours punishes us when we refuse to do his bidding.
Clov: Why this farce, day after day? (Beckett, 25)
(All servants remain in a somber mood, thinking of how they are treated).
Ariel: If I were human, I would forgive the evil men (Shakespeare, 12)
Clov: I want to leave that haunted house, away from my master’s insults.
(Clov remembers how his master cursed him to a life of blindness and inability to walk like himself).
Ariel: One must learn to be patient.
Caliban: Now, when they take your native land and make you work for the privilege of staying there.
Ariel: But master promised us our freedom if we were faithful.
Clov: Once, my master intimated, I was his son and that I was lucky to have him like a father figure.
Caliban: That is what Prospero said in the beginning like he was the savior. Only to make us make his bid for revenge.
(Flashback to when Prosperos bewitched the ship at sea and divided Caliban and Ariel to the groups of isolated men)
END OF ACT III
Act 4
Characters
Prospero- wizard and rightful duke of Milan
Miranda- Prospero’s daughter
Ferdinand- son to Alonso
Clov: Servant to Hamm
Prosperos: First, I will give my daughter a man to love (Shakespeare, 6)
Prosperos: I am happy to see my plan for my daughter’s future marriage is going to work.
Prosperos: I will throw you in prison.
(Ferdinand draws his sword, Prospero puts a spell on him as Miranda cries for mercy.
Clov: Today, my blind master made me make a dog for him, which would dote on him, much like you, Miranda.
Miranda: I love him, and I want to marry him.
Prosperos: As it must be, he is the son of the king who helped my thief of a brother ascend to the throne.
Clov: Is it love when stronger charms than love capture the heart?
Prosperos: I intend to be the king again. Welcome to the family
(A wedding scene as he embraces Ferdinand, his new son-in-law)
Clov: Naturally, it’s extinguished. If it is not on, it is extinguished (Beckett, 32).
Prosperos: I will give up magic; throw away my wand and my magic book forever.
Miranda: Father, tell them the good news. I have never seen so many humans before.
Prosperos: Your son is alive King Alonso, and he will marry my daughter, Miranda.
Miranda: Oh brave new world (Shakespeare, 12)
Prosperos: Prepare the ship, and let’s go back to Italy (Shakespeare, 12).
(Prospero’s sets Ariel and Caliban free after giving them final instructions).
Clov: Do this, do that, and I never refuse. One day, I shall also leave (Beckett, 33).
END OF ACT IV
In the two plays, certain themes are common, like patriarchy, master-servant relationships, colonialism, power, and humor. In the first article by Ward and associates, Prospero is depicted as the typical patriarchal figure. He has power over his servants, the fairy Ariel and the monster Caliban. On this unequal level, he uses magical powers to dictate the life of his daughter, Miranda, lives, including her romantic life. The second article of Gale is a study guide in Endgame with the gray atmosphere of Hamm’s life clearly explained. The third article by Hendricks features the similarities both plays have in addressing their themes.
I found my first source on an online database, and after checking its credentials, it looks like a good reference. It covers The Tempest thoroughly with the themes in the book is clearly outlined. Prospero, the main protagonist and antagonist in the story, makes the narrative revolves around him. He controls his servants, daughter, and brother. He wants the throne back to his rightful hands, and for that, he uses charms, his daughter, and King Alonso. Only when the crown is returned to him does he release his servants and informs King Alonso that his son is not dead. In this course, patriarchy is covered as Miranda has no option but to marry the man her father ‘bewitched’ for her.
The last-minute influence of Ariel also illustrates the power in this context to their master. ‘Prospero realizes that the rarer action is In virtue than in vengeance (Ward, 4). Despite the maltreatment of the fairy by her master, she takes away the power of revenge by advising on forgiveness. Colonialism is an unfortunate path Caliban is forced into by the banishment of Prospero. After finding himself stuck on an island, he uses his magic powers to trap the island’s only inhabitant, Caliban, leading to resentment (Ward, 5). A poor master-servant relationship is a result of the two mystical creatures, Ariel and Caliban, desire for independence. Any such connotation is met with severe criticism from their master, who enjoys enslaving them for his benefit.
In the second article, the focus is on Endgame by Samuel Beckett. Written by Gale et al., it is a guide into the characters, setting, and general doom of the book. With the analogy likened to an incredible story of parents stuck in a bin with their son blind and in a wheelchair, it brings out the doom and gloom. Hamm, the main character in the play, abuses his servant, Clov, and his parents, Nell and Nagg. He is miserable due to his dire circumstances and takes it out on others. Hamm treats nobody as an equal, as he is convinced that he suffers the most out of all four characters (Gale, 5). He treats his slave so poorly that in a brief attack of conscience, he asks Clov why he never considered killing him (Beckett, 22). His parents are the biggest victims, with their loss of eyesight and living in a bin with meager food rations. He tries to draw pity from Clov, an overworked servant, but Clov refuses to be drawn into conversation with him.
With the power over Clov and his parents went to his head, he sits in his wheelchair as his mother dies from neglect. Unabashed, he asks Clov to push her in with the servant, saying that he cannot sit well enough to do the task at hand. Hamms is a cruel master who sees torturing his parents by denying them conversation as nothing more than a chess game (Beckett, 4).
The last article attempts to compare the plays by Shakespeare and Beckett. It fails to be descriptive in its analysis as it jumps from one text to the other. Unlike the other two books, it offers vague explanations like ‘the plots are easily resolved by surprising recognitions and reunifications (Hendricks, 498-499). Despite the difference in styles of the two playwrights, the matters they address are very similar to the male voice is the one who rules over the household (Hamm) or island (Prospero). This book fails to capture their essence, unlike the two extracts mentioned above.
Works Cited
Beckett, Samuel et al. Endgame. BBC for the Open University, 1990.
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Samuel Beckett’s” Endgame.” Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.
Hendricks, Ted. “Winter’s Tales.” The Hopkins Review 11.3 (2018): 498-502.
Ward, Leszek H. “Controlling Sight and Knowledge in The Tempest.” (2019).
William Shakespeare. Tempest. Charles River Editors, 2018.
Prospero:
- Brief literature review on the Tempest and Endgame