The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays, known for its witty writing and comedic elements. Though often categorized as a tragedy, The Tempest also features several humorous moments that lighten the tone of the play. These moments of humor provide a welcome relief from the play’s more dramatic moments, and help to further develop the characters and their relationships.
One such moment occurs early in the play, when Prospero conjures up a storm at sea in order to bring his enemies to him. The ship carrying his enemies is caught in the storm, and they are all shipwrecked on Prospero’s island. As they struggle to survive, Prospero takes great delight in their misfortune, cackling with glee at their predicament. This scene is humorous not only because of Prospero’s gleeful attitude, but also because of the ridiculousness of the situation. The characters are all wet and cold, and they’re stuck on an island with a madman who is bent on revenge.
Later in the play, there are several scenes in which Caliban attempts to speak to Prospero in a civilized manner, and Prospero responds by ridiculing him. These scenes are also humorous, as they show the vast difference in intelligence between the two characters. Caliban may be able to speak words, but he doesn’t understand their meaning, while Prospero is a master of language and can use it to manipulate others.
Overall, The Tempest is a witty and humorous play that provides a refreshing change of pace from Shakespeare’s more tragic works. The comedic elements are well-executed and add an interesting dimension to the characters and the story.
In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the characters are forced into preconceived types. Prospero is our great hero, Miranda is our beautiful lady, and Antonio is the closest thing we have to a villain. As readers, it’s tempting to view these figures as roles rather than individuals, perhaps out of convenience.
But to do so would be to miss out on one of The Tempest’s most delightful aspects- its humor. Some of the play’s funniest moments come from Prospero playing with our expectations. He is, after all, a sorcerer. He can conjure spirits and control the wind and the waves. So when he tells Miranda that he has been keeping Antonio and Sebastian “in check,” we believe him.
But then we see Antonio and Sebastian, both lost in their own thoughts, wandering aimlessly around the island. It’s only then that we realize Prospero has been doing no such thing. He has simply been playing with their minds, leading them in circles until they are so confused that they can’t think straight.
Miranda, too, is the source of much humor in The Tempest. She is so sheltered that she has never seen a man before, and her reaction to meeting Ferdinand for the first time is priceless. She faints at the sight of him, which would be romantic if it weren’t so funny. And when she does finally regain consciousness, she proceeds to make a complete idiot of herself, babbling about how handsome Ferdinand is and how she will never love anyone else. It’s all very sweet, but Miranda comes across as more than a little naïve.
In The Tempest, Shakespeare shows us that even in the darkest of times, there is always room for humor.
Many characters are washed up on an island after a storm, or tempest, that gives the play its name. The fact that no one dies in the play, disputes are resolved, misunderstandings are set right, and lovers and married people are reunited all contribute to its classification as a comedy.
The play is full of humor, which Shakespeare often uses to lighten the mood or add levity to a scene. The following are some examples of humor in The Tempest.
One example of humor in The Tempest is when Ariel, a spirit who lives on the island and serves Prospero, tells him that some of the shipwrecked passengers have arrived on the beach. Prospero responds with irritation, saying “I should be angry indeed if I could not control you! / Go to, obey!” (1.2.188-189). However, Ariel is not actually disobedient – he is just trying to tell Prospero what he wants to know as quickly as possible. The exchange between the two characters is humorous because it is based on a misunderstanding.
Another example of humor in The Tempest is when Trinculo, one of the shipwrecked passengers, meets Caliban, the native who lives on the island and who Prospero has been controlling with magic. When Trinculo first sees Caliban, he mistakes him for a monster and starts to run away. However, he quickly changes his mind when he hears Caliban speak, because he sounds like a drunkard: “This is fantastic; do but hear him! / … His language is pure Notwithstanding his features are not kind” (2.2.367-369). The fact that Trinculo mistakes Caliban for a monster but then decides that he is not so bad once he gets to know him is humorous.
A final example of humor in The Tempest is when Prospero’s magic causes a banquet to appear in front of his daughter, Miranda, and her fiance, Ferdinand. The two of them are so amazed by the sight that they forget to eat: “They stand agaze and almost err / Forgot their meal” (4.1.143-144). The banquet is not actually real, but it looks so realistic that Miranda and Ferdinand are fooled by it. The fact that they are so easily fooled is humorous.
In conclusion, Shakespeare uses humor in The Tempest to lighten the mood and add levity to the play. The examples above show how he does this in different ways, such as by basing humor on misunderstandings or by using it to create comic relief. The humor in The Tempest is one of its defining features, and it contributes to making the play a comedy.
