Literary Analysis of The Tempest by Shakespeare

Incorporation of Elizabethan Classes into The Tempest

William Shakespeare, the author of countless plays and sonnets, was born and raised in Elizabethan England. At the time a class system, which refers to the arrangement of people into categories based on rank, was prevalent. The classes in Elizabethan England ranged from the monarch, who was of the highest rank, to the laborers, who were little-respected workers. The environment in which Shakespeare was raised affected the structure and content of his plays. In The Tempest, the characters are situated by Shakespeare into a hierarchy representative of the social order in the Elizabethan Era.

Around the time that The Tempest was published, residents of England were grouped into six distinct classes. These classes comprised of the monarch, nobility, gentry, merchants, yeomanry, and laborers. The monarch, being the ruler of the nation, is on top of the hierarchy; the ruler in the play is evidently King Alonso. Following the monarch are the nobility and the gentry, which consist of the nobles, knights, gentlemen, and gentlewomen. Examples of this class in Shakespeare’s play include the nobility. The Merchants are of lower social status than the nobility and gentry but are sometimes prosperous. Below merchants were yeomanry, meaning citizens. Former Duke Prospero falls into this category since he holds no special position. Of the lowest class were laborers, who generally occupied poor jobs, such as shoemaking and carpentering. At the time, people living in England obtained their class through inheritance, meaning that they were usually of the same class as their parents. For the most part, people married other people of the same class. Disobeyers of this rule were frowned upon. These rules hold for The Tempest as well. Shakespeare categorizes the acts and scenes to focus on one group at a time. These individuals included, among others, King Alonso and his nobility, the three drunken fools, and Prospero, Miranda, and Ferdinand.

In most cases, the groups present in The Tempest were portrayed as having traits akin to a specific class. For example, the King Alonso behaved much differently than the three drunken fools. King Alonso, as well as his nobility, talk respectfully, as well as formally, and are more loyal to each other. In addition, they are capable of exercising power over each other. The ship-master shouts “Good, speak to the mariners: fall to 't yarely, or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.” (1.1). The drunken fools, by contrast, lack polite demeanors, as well as fine speech. Rather than using their minds, they declare whatever is on their mind and lack common sense. Stephano says “This is some monster of the isle with four legs, who hath got, as I take it, an ague,” (2.2), rather than deducing the sight to be two men. Furthermore, Stephano decides to give the “monster” alcohol rather than contemplating the potential danger of doing so. These men also turn to alcohol rather than finding better tasks to engage themselves in. Miranda, Ferdinand, and Prospero, who are closer to the higher end of society behave more common sensically than the three drunken fools but do not possess the aura of royalty as do the nobility and King Alonso. It is evident that most individuals follow the expected behavior of their class, but just as in Elizabethan England, there are some exceptions.

Some characters in The Tempest do not adhere to the social expectations of classes in Elizabethan England either. For example, Miranda and Ferdinand were very much in love. This is undoubtedly expressed in their conversations and actions as visible in Act 3, Scene 1. They commit to marrying each other only hours after meeting each other. There is a conflict with the class system because although the two feel deep affection toward each other, they are from distinct classes. Prospero was the duke of Milan but was deprived of his position, rendering him part of the yeomanry. Therefore, Miranda is also a part of the yeomanry. However, Ferdinand is of a much more respectable class. His father is the King of Milan, which means that Ferdinand is also a prestigious member of society. The gap of classes between these two lovers makes it socially unacceptable for them to marry in the Elizabethan Era. However, this still occurs in the formal handfasting of the two lovers. This event demonstrates deviations to the class system from what is considered normal. Socially rejected actions like these are present in both the play and the Elizabethan Era.

Similarly, rightful members of a class express traits and behaviors distinct to what is considered normal by other members of that class. For example, Antonio and Sebastian are both members of the nobility, but their actions are not representative of what is considered normal of their class. This is shown when they betray their loyalty to other members of society in Act 2, Scene 1. They plotted killing King Alonso and the nobility so that they could occupy the benefits and power of the position themselves. Another demonstration of this despicable behavior is in the background of the play when Antonio betrays Prospero and takes the position of Duke of Milan for himself. These actions are contrary to the rest of the nobility and the king, such as Gonzalo. In Dramatis Personae, the Gonzalo is described as being an “honest old counselor”. Sebastian and Antonio express what can be considered the opposite of honest. They abused their power out of avarice, and are from no perspective loyal. Inheritance of class was a limitation of Elizabethan England exploited in The Tempest since some people do not deserve the class they are born into.

From the actions and portrayal of the different groups in The Tempest, it can be inferred that The Tempest was created to reflect the different classes present in Elizabethan England. The different groups exhibit different characteristics which suggest that they are of different classes. Furthermore, this play also exhibits the unfitting people and actions that deviate from social expectations, which also existed in Shakespeare’s setting. Since it is evident that the environment of the play reflects Shakespeare’s surroundings, perhaps it can be conjectured that this play was created to reflect the very life of William Shakespeare.